230-million-year-old fly and mites found in amber

[micropage7]

The oldest known amber-preserved fly and mites have just been discovered in northeastern Italy.

The specimens date to 230 million years ago, a time that interestingly coincides with the appearance of the world's first dinosaurs.

The mites didn't bite into dinosaurs, which was good news for the dinos, perhaps, but bad news for those hoping for some dino DNA.

http://news.discovery.com/animals/230-million-year-old-fly-and-mites-discovered-in-amber-120828.html

 

[W1zzard]

radiocarbon dating shouldnt work for that old? how did they date that?

obviously googling for "how to date amber" didnt give me the results i was looking for

 

[DannibusX]

I dated a chick named Amber once.

She killed herself 2 years ago

 

[Law-II]

radiocarbon dating shouldnt work for that old? how did they date that?

obviously googling for "how to date amber" didnt give me the results i was looking for

Hi

"The fossilized resin is found throughout the world, although much of the amber used for jewelry derives from deposits in Europe's Baltic region and from the Dominican Republic. Most ambers are 20 million to 130 million years old. However, recognizable ambers have been discovered that originated around 240 million years ago.

Because amber is an organic material, its age can be determined by carbon-14 radioisotope dating, but only if the sample is less than about 40,000 years old. The age of much older ambers can be inferred from the age of the surrounding sediments. Radioisotopes with half-lives much longer than that of 14C are used to date the sediments."

source - http://pubs.acs.org/cen/whatstuff/85/8511sci3.html

atb (all the best)

Law-II

 

[Phusius]

I hope there is dinosaur blood in one of their tummies, me want a jurassic park fo real!