Antarctica is a huge frozen continent, though it was once temperate enough to be covered in swampy forests. Now, a team of ...

Antarctica is a place of extremes. Its icy landscapes often hold secrets that challenge what we know about Earth’s history.

Scientists have discovered amber fragments in Antarctica, revealing that the now-frozen continent was once a thriving rainforest during the mid-Cretaceous period. The amber, dating back 90 million ...

The research, led by Johann P Klages, PhD, a marine geologist at the AWI’s Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research and Henny Gerschel, PhD, from the TU Bergakademie Freiberg, shows that during ...

Roughly 90 million years ago, climatic conditions in Antarctica were suitable for resin-producing trees. Researchers have now made the southernmost discovery of amber in the world. Roughly 90 ...

Nevertheless, possible remnants of tree bark can be recognized in the amber. The team found indications for pathological resin flow in the amber, a strategy trees use to seal damaged bark induced ...

(Klages et al., Antarctic Research, 2024) The amber was probably preserved and fossilized because high water levels quickly covered the tree resin, protecting it from ultraviolet radiation and ...

Amber is fossilized resin, or tree sap, that can trap plants, insects, small animals or other organic matter with it as it hardens. The golden-yellow casing is airtight and mostly see-through ...

“The analysed amber fragments allow direct insights ... all seven continents had climatic conditions allowing resin-producing trees to survive. Our goal now is to learn more about the forest ...

It’s the first amber found at this extreme latitude, confirming that the region once supported resin-producing trees. Resin is a thick liquid that oozes from trees. Eventually, it solidifies ...

German geologists have discovered amber – fossilised tree resin – in samples of mud recovered from the seafloor near the outer edges of the icy continent’s landmass in 2017. The nuggets ...

"The analyzed amber fragments allow direct insights ... all seven continents had climatic conditions allowing resin-producing trees to survive. Our goal now is to learn more about the forest ...