46-million-year-old
mosquito's last meal is the oldest blood ever discovered
By Nigel
Atkins
The
ancient insect was so well-preserved because it had been trapped in mudstone,
meaning the organic remains decomposed slowly.
The oldest
blood known has been found in a mosquito which was fossilised 46 million years
ago. It died soon after feeding and was perfectly preserved in the shale of a
mountain range in Montana, USA.Expert Dr Dale Greenwalt used state of the art
technology to identify the blood in the previously unknown species of mozzie. He
told Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that the “improbable find”
showed how little insects have changed.
Read rest
here:http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/oldest-blood-mosquito-fossil-discovered-2371691#ixzz2hmmqmf7h
No comments:
Post a Comment