Fly in Amber

    Amber is hardened tree sap. Insects and other small creatures that become trapped in the sap are protected from air and water, and may be preserved for hundreds of thousands or even millions of years. Besides morphological comparison with related living species, such creatures are an excellent source of ancient DNA, which can be amplified by PCR, sequenced, and used to place the creatures in their correct taxonomic context. The Honey Bee (Hymenoptera: Apis) above is morphologically and genetically distinct from living forms.