DNA from Amber Inclusions

Abstract

Amber, together with jet and coral, is one of the few ‘organic gems’; its use as an ornament and as an art medium throughout history has been the subject of several books (Hunger 1979; Rice 1980; Fraquet 1987). Amber is fossilized tree resin which can vary in age from 4 to 225 million years. The exact process by which plant resins become amber is unknown. However, it involves evaporation of essential oils and polymerization, which result in the hardening of the resin. Most amber has a hardness between 2.0 and 2.5 on the Mohl’s scale, a refractive index of 1.5–1.6, a specific gravity between 1.06 and 1.10, and a melting point of 250–300°C. Of course, a very important prerequisite for fossilization is that the resin be resistant to microbial decomposition, since it will be exposed to soil, rock, and usually seawater for millions of years. Few plant genera are known to produce resin that can withstand the physical and biological forces on the earth’s surface for such a long time (Poinar 1992).