“Oldest bamboo” fossil from Eocene Patagonia turns out to be a conifer

Pensoft Editorial Team

Tagged bamboo, botany, conifer, eocene, fossils, paleontologyLeave a comment

February 4, 2020

A recent examination revealed that Chusquea oxyphylla, a fossilised leafy branch from the early Eocene in Patagonia, which has been widely cited as the oldest bamboo fossil and as evidence for a Gondwanan origin of bamboos is actually a conifer. The results of the finding are published in the open-access journal Phytokeys.

The ‘Star dust’ wasp is a new extinct species named after David Bowie’s alter ego

Pensoft Editorial Team

Tagged amber, biodiversity, Burmese amber, David Bowie, extinct species, fossil insects, fossil species, fossils, Hymenoptera, insects, new species, Star dust wasp, Stardust wasp, taxonomy, wasps, Ziggy StardustLeave a comment

June 22, 2017

During her study on fossil insects of the order Hymenoptera at China’s Capitol Normal University, student Longfeng Li visited the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington, carrying two unidentified wasp specimens that were exceptionally well-preserved in Burmese amber. This type of fossilized tree resin is known for the quality of the fossil specimens which […]