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Feb 27, 2020
Due to the impact of the
COVID-19, the Research Institute in Chaozhou will be temporarily
closed, the opening time is to be determined, please pay
attention to the latest news on this website.
Jan 1, 2020
Congratulations on opening Longyin Amber Museum in Xishan
District, Kunming City, Yunnan Province, China
Oct
10, 2019
Possible egg masses from amphibians, gastropods, and insects in
mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber
The eggs of fish, amphibians, and
many invertebrates are soft, delicate structures that are only
rarely preserved in the fossil record. Here we report egg masses
preserved as inclusions in mid-Cretaceous amber deposits of
Myanmar. Of five specimens recovered, three of the egg masses
probably pertain to insects, but the other two appear different.
One mass is composed of relatively stiff eggs that retain their
shape throughout the mass and may be linked by mucoid strands.
This morphology resembles that of some terrestrial molluscs. The
second mass is composed of softer eggs that have compressed one
another so that their shapes are strongly distorted within the
mass. These eggs most closely resemble those of amphibians.
Given the forest environment reconstructed for the amber
locality, the eggs were presumably attached on or close to the
resin producing tree.
Xing, L.D., Wang, D.H*., Li, G., McKellar, R.C., Bai, M., Chen,
H.R., Evans, S.E*. 2019. Possible egg masses from amphibians,
gastropods, and insects in mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber.
Historical Biology DOI: 10.1080/08912963.2019.1677642
May
30, 2019
Update for the Declaration from DIP
Science has corrected
their negligence. We are grateful to the journal for their
positive response and revision. The text has been changed, and a
note at the end alerts readers:
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/05/fossils-burmese-amber-offer-exquisite-view-dinosaur-times-and-ethical-minefield
*Update, 29 May, 12:20 p.m.: This story has been updated to
reflect the current ownership of the snake in amber specimen:
Xiao and DIP have arranged for the institute to own that
specimen, but it is loaned back to Xiao until 2027.
<<<Details>>>>
May
26, 2019
A
Solemn Declaration from DIP
The DIP has noted that Science
published Sokol, J.,
2019. Troubled treasure. Science 364 (6442): 722-729. DOI:
10.1126/science.364.6442.722.
We are grateful to Science for its interest in Burmese amber.
However, some of these statements are clearly not true, and
these claims have seriously affected the reputation of the
Institute. We express strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition
to it.
<<<Details>>>>
Feb
12, 2019
Birds of a Feather May Stick Together, but This Bird’s Foot Got
Stuck in Amber
"Researchers say the
feathered specimen known as “Ugly Foot” or “Hobbit Foot” offers
long-sought clues to the evolutionary path of birds."
Xing, L.D., McKellar, R.C*., O'Connor, J.K*., Bai, M.,Tseng,
K.W., Chiappe, L.M, 2019. A fully feathered enantiornithine foot
and wing fragment preserved in mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber.
Scientific Reports 9:927
Oct
11, 2018
Exclusive: Stunning snail found in dinosaur-era amber
"A record-setting fossil
from Myanmar reveals the detailed anatomy of ancient snails'
soft tissues."
Xing, L.D., Ross, A.J*., Stilwell, J.D., Fang, J., McKellar,
R.C. 2019. Juvenile snail with preserved soft tissue in
mid-Cretaceous amber from Myanmar suggests a cyclophoroidean
(Gastropoda) ancestry. Cretaceous Research 93: 114–119. DOI:
10.1016/j.cretres.2018.09.013
Jun 14, 2018
First Baby Snake From Dinosaur
Era Found in Amber
"The delicate fossil is also
the oldest known snake that lived in a forested ecosystem."
Xing, L.D., Caldwell, M.W*., Chen, R., Nydam, R.L., Palci, A.,
Simões, T.R., McKellar, R.C., Lee, M.S.Y., Liu, Y., Shi, H.L.,
Wang, K., Bai, M. In press. A Mid-Cretaceous
Embryonic-To-Neonate Snake in Amber from Myanmar. Science
Advances 4, eaat5042. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aat5042
Jun 14, 2018
World's Oldest Rain Forest Frogs Found in Amber
“It was exhilarating to hold these small fossils up to the light
to reveal the frogs within.” And named
Electrorana limoae, it is an extinct species of frog
that lived in the Myanmar in the Cenomanian (Upper Cretaceous)
forests, 99 million years ago.
Xing, L.D*., Stanley, E., Bai, M., Blackburn,D.C*. 2018. The
earliest direct evidence of frogs in wet tropical forests from
Cretaceous Burmese amber. Scientific Reports 8:8770.
DOI:10.1038/s41598-018-26848-w
Feb 3, 2018
A cover story: Cretaceous amber from Myanmar (99 Ma Burmese
amber) has become a valuable supplement to the traditional
skeletal record of small theropod dinosaurs preserved in
sedimentary rocks, particularly for coelurosaurs and
enantiornithines. The specimens recovered from this deposit
preserve skeletal material and soft tissues in unmatched detail.
This provides opportunities to study three-dimensional
preservation of soft tissues, microstructure, and pigmentation
patterns that are seldom available elsewhere in the fossil
record. Ultimately, this line of research provides insights into
life stages that are difficult to preserve, the ecology and
appearance of the groups involved, and the
evolutionary-development of structures such as feathers. Here we
describe the most recent discovery from Burmese amber, an
articulated skeleton of an enantiornithine bird. This individual
has been sectioned along the coronal plane, providing a unique
view inside multiple body regions. Osteological observations and
plumage patterns support placement within the Enantiornithes,
and suggest that the animal may have been a juvenile at the time
of death. The specimen has a complex taphonomic history that
includes exposure at the surface of a resin flow prior to
encapsulation, and may include scavenging by some of the insects
trapped within the same amber piece. The chemical composition
observed along surface exposures and shallowly buried regions of
the body indicate that the specimen has not undergone
significant exchange with its surroundings. High iron
concentrations are present in regions that preserve soft tissues
as carbon films, and calcium distribution corresponds to regions
where bones breach the surface of the amber.
Jan 22, 2018
We
report the first Cretaceous ostracod in amber—the gigantic
(12.9 mm) right valve of an exclusively marine group (Myodocopa:
Myodocopida) preserved in Burmese amber.
Jun 6, 2017
Our team have uncovered an incredible specimen in Myanmar that
has given us a glimpse of life from 100 million years ago - a
piece of amber containing the remarkably preserved remains of an
ancient bird hatchling.
Inside the amber, you can make out the head, tail, and neck of
the bird, but it's the wings and feet that are the real marvels
- the chunk of fossilised tree resin has perfectly preserved the
bird's feathers, flesh, and claws, and gives us insight into a
doomed group of prehistoric species called the Enantiornithes.
Lida Xing, Jingmai K. O'Connor, Ryan C. McKellar, Luis M.
Chiappe, Kuowei Tseng, Gang Li & Ming Bai (2017)
A mid-Cretaceous enantiornithine (Aves) hatchling preserved in
Burmese amber with unusual plumage.
Gondwana Research
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gr.2017.06.001
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1342937X17300527
Dec 9, 2016
Our first !!
DINO!! SAUR!! in AMBER!!!!! Found in 2015.
First Dinosaur Tail Found
Preserved in Amber!!
A Feathered Dinosaur Tail with Primitive Plumage Trapped
in Mid-Cretaceous Amber. In Current Biology
National Geographic:
First Dinosaur Tail Found Preserved in Amber
CNN: 'Once
in a lifetime find': Dinosaur tail discovered trapped in
amber
BBC:
'Beautiful' dinosaur tail
found preserved in amber
PBS:
Entire chunk of feathered dinosaur discovered in amber
Sciencenews:
Dinosaur tail preserved in amber, with feathers
CNBC:
Dinosaur tail found in amber at market in Myanmar
June 30, 2016
China news:
Researchers find birds' wings encased in amber
June 28, 2016
National Geographic:
Rare Dinosaur-Era Bird Wings Found Trapped in Amber
BBC:
Ancient birds' wings preserved in amber
New scientist:
Beautifully preserved feathers belonged to tiny flying dinosaurs
Science daily:
Early bird wings preserved in Burmese amber
CNN:
99-million-year-old bird wing discovered
Nature:
Bird wings trapped in amber are a fossil first from the age of
dinosaurs
May, 2015
We have visited the mine area,
and study amber in Myitkyina,
Myanmar
June, 2014
We have visited the mine area,
and study amber in Myitkyina,
Myanmar
In 2014, we discovered amber
amber containing a baby bird, wings and so on.
In 2013, we began to pay
attention to the inclusion of Burmese amber
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