Troubled treasure
May 24, 2019 1:41 PM   Subscribe

Troubled treasure "But as much as Burmese amber is a scientist's dream, it's also an ethical minefield. The fossils come from conflict-ridden Kachin state in Myanmar, where scientists can't inspect the geology for clues to the fossils' age and environment. In Kachin, rival political factions compete for the profit yielded by amber and other natural resources"
posted by dhruva (2 comments total) 14 users marked this as a favorite
 
This was a fascinating read, thank you for sharing.
posted by Hermione Granger at 2:31 PM on May 24, 2019 [4 favorites]


In 2018, scientists reported 321 new species immaculately preserved in Burmese amber, bringing the cumulative total to 1195. One team recently argued that Burmese amber may boast more biodiversity than any other fossil deposit from the entire reign of the dinosaurs.

Wow!

Thank you for this link; it was very interesting and a sobering read. I remember the feathered dinosaur tail finding when it was posted to Metafilter, and the mental image I had of the amber market where Xing discovered it was not half as dark or complicated as the reality.
posted by mixedmetaphors at 12:39 PM on May 25, 2019 [1 favorite]


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