Engel and Thomas Co-Author Study of Amber

KU Biodiversity Institute scientists Michael Engel and Jennifer Thomas co-authored a recently-released publication that sheds new light on the prehistoric life of India.

The study, also authored by 13 scientists among other institutions, examined amber in Gujurat state (western) India.  The group studied insects trapped in fossil amber, which is believed to be 50-52 million years old.  PNAS published the study this week.

The region was previously thought to have high numbers of endemic (native to only that area) species, but the new study found more than 100 species from other areas.  These findings suggest that the region was perhaps not quite as isolated as previously thought.