World's Oldest Amber Comes From a World 150 Million Years Before Dinosaurs - ScienceAlert
Paleontologists in China have discovered 385-million-year-old amber fragments in a Middle Devonian coal bed. This finding predates previous records by 65 million years and suggests that non-seed vascular plants were capable of producing complex resin long before dinosaurs existed.
Why it matters
This discovery fundamentally shifts our understanding of plant evolution and the timeline of when chemically complex resin production first emerged in Earth's history.
Add ScienceAlert on Google One of the fragments embedded in the surrounding coal. (Luo et al., Sci. Adv. , 2026) We tend to think of tree resin as an ancient, fragrant defense against munching insects – one that fends off pests and scabs over the wounds left by their voracious mandibles.
The article is a straightforward report on a scientific discovery based on a peer-reviewed study.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in