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2mo ago

Invisible 40-Million-Year-Old Ant Found in Goethe’s Amber Using 3D Imaging

The find turns a centuries-old cultural collection into a new resource for comparative fossil research.

3D-Rekonstruktion der Ameise und das Fossil im Original-Bernstein dahinter
Eine Büste von Johann Wolfgang von Goethe steht im Romantikerhaus in Jena.
Image
Rund 200 Jahre nach dem Tod Johann Wolfgang von Goethes haben Forscher eine gut erhaltene Ameise in dessen Bernsteinsammlung entdeckt. Wie die Universität Jena mitteilte, fanden Biologen in einem der Stücke das rund 40 Millionen Jahre alte Fossil.

Overview

  • Researchers at Friedrich Schiller University Jena identified the fossil, which was not visible to the naked eye, using advanced 3D imaging.
  • The specimen is classified as the extinct ant Ctenobethylus goepperti from Eocene Baltic amber.
  • Non-destructive scans revealed internal structures in the head and thorax, enabling a detailed interactive 3D reconstruction now available online.
  • The amber pieces come from Goethe’s approximately 40-item Baltic collection housed at the Goethe-Nationalmuseum in Weimar.
  • The re-examination also uncovered a fungus gnat and a biting midge, highlighting the scientific value of historic holdings.