Fly in Amber
Amber is
hardened tree sap.
Insects and other small creatures that become trapped in the sap
are
thus
protected from air and water, and can be preserved intact for
millions
of years. Besides morphological comparison with related living
species,
such creatures are an excellent
source of ancient DNA,
which
can be sequenced and used to place the creatures in their
correct
taxonomic context. The bee (Hymenoptera)
above is morphologically and
genetically distinct from living forms.