Photo © Anders Leth Damgaard
Amber's ability to exquisitely preserve bits of prehistoric ecosystems was forever implanted into the public consciousness by Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park novels and their film adaptations. I remember first reading about Ingen's use of blood from insects preserved in amber to clone dinosaurs; I felt a rush of excitement to imagine the organic material locked in chunks of ancient tree resin. While it turns out not to be a totally plausible way to populate an island full of dinosaurs, but to thirteen year old me, it was a striking idea that remains one of the most memorable parts of Jurassic Park for me. "Dino DNA!"
When a piece of amber contains an insect or other piece of the biome, it's called an inclusion. The inclusion photographs in this post are the work of Danish photographer Anders Damgaard, whose website and Flickr stream contain many more examples of his work - the 3-D image on his site is especially cool. They come from his set of New Jersey amber, dating to the Cretaceous period. Enjoy, and be sure to leave some kind words in his photo comments at Flickr.
Photo © Anders Leth Damgaard
Photo © Anders Leth Damgaard
Photo © Anders Leth Damgaard
Photo © Anders Leth Damgaard
Photo © Anders Leth Damgaard
Photo © Anders Leth Damgaard
Look at my latest post- you're in it.
ReplyDeleteHi, Anders is a male name. Cool pics.
ReplyDeleteThanks. fixed.
ReplyDeleteNice topic. I was reading your blog the last 3 days and find so much interesting topics here. I’ve bookmarked your site hoping that I can take much more benefit from you and got more knowledge. Thank you. Last time I saw this type of insects in amber stone that is in "DR Fine Jewels".
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