Emily Chan
The research team began their study by polishing the amber until it was shiny and transparent. Next, they used an advanced camera and spectrometer to capture a chemical fingerprint of the amber. Then, they assessed the fossil and identified the insect.
The team estimated that the gnat inhabited the pine forests in what is now Scandinavia about 35 to 40 million years ago.
In the forest, the gnat got stuck in a lump of pine resin on a tree. Rivers, ocean currents, and glaciers carried the entombed gnat to the North Sea.
“An amber collector by the name of C.V. Henningsen found the piece of amber on the western coast of Jutland back in the 1960s. Henningsen sold the piece, along with the rest of his collection, to the Natural History Museum of Denmark. Since the gnat species had never been described before, we named it after him, and it is now known as Robsonomyia henningseni,” said Lars Vilhelmsen, an associate professor and curator with the museum.
Amber preserves prehistoric animal and plant remains, allowing scientists to learn more about what Earth was like millions of years ago.
However, if the gnat is removed from the amber, it will crumble into bits and be lost forever since its organic material decomposed long ago. So, the best approach is to study it inside the amber.
