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Microbes 100M Years Old Found In Termite Guts

Posted by kdawson on from the mutualism-in-action dept.

viyh writes with coverage on MSNBC of the discovery of ancient microbes fossilized in the gut of a termite. "One hundred million years ago a termite was wounded and its abdomen split open. The resin of a pine tree slowly enveloped its body and the contents of its gut. In what is now the Hukawng Valley in Myanmar, the resin fossilized and was buried until it was chipped out of an amber mine. The resin had seeped into the termite's wound and preserved even the microscopic organisms in its gut. These microbes are the forebears of the microbes that live in the guts of today's termites and help them digest wood. ... The amber preserved the microbes with exquisite detail, including internal features like the nuclei. ... Termites are related to cockroaches and split from them in evolutionary time at about the same time the termite in the amber was trapped."

10 of 145 comments (clear)

  1. but is there any dinosaur dna in there? by spiffmastercow · · Score: 5, Funny

    I mean, we *could* clone the microbes preserved in amber.. But that's just not as exciting, is it?

  2. Summer block buster by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    One hundred million years ago a termite was wounded and its abdomen split open

    That would make a better film than most of the crap out there at the moment.

    1. Re:Summer block buster by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Hot lesbian termite sex?

      Probably not... termites prefer wood.

  3. Amber preservation by zippthorne · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Seems even better than mummification for preserving the dead. We should figure out how to make it, and stick some creatures from our own time in it, including larger specimens for future paleontologists to ponder over. Like, famous politicians, as a reward for their service.

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    1. Re:Amber preservation by Opportunist · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Like, famous politicians, as a reward for their service.

      Do we have to wait 'til they die? I know a few individuals that I'd love to preserve that way right now. For their incredible service, of course...

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      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  4. Yes, but it's in Chickens, not frogs by anotheregomaniac · · Score: 5, Interesting

    http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1026340/Jurassic-Park-comes-true-How-scientists-bringing-dinosaurs-life-help-humble-chicken.html According to Jack Horner, professor of palaeontology at Montana State University, the answer is an unequivocal yes. He says: "Of course we can bring them back to life. Their ancestral DNA is still present. "The science is there. I don't think there are any barriers, other than the philosophical."

  5. 100M year old bugs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Sounds like the work of Microsoft.

  6. 100 million? by adamwpants · · Score: 5, Funny

    Don't you mean 6,000?

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  7. Re:Epic Advemture by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    One does not simply walk into Myanmar

  8. Re:Screw that! by fireheadca · · Score: 5, Funny

    This is what killed them off, their tastiness.