Scientists have identified the world’s oldest confirmed amber specimens in coal seams from the West Junggar area of northwestern China’s Xinjiang region, dating back about 385 million years. This discovery significantly predates the previous oldest known amber, which was from approximately 320 million years ago during the Late Carboniferous period.

The amber fragments were found within an ancient tectonic collision zone where multiple plates had once converged and merged. Researchers extracted 241 pieces of amber from roughly 10 kilograms of coal, with sizes ranging from 0.1 millimeters to 1.5 millimeters for the largest piece. Initially, the material was thought to be a form of resin-like organic matter, but subsequent advanced chemical analyses confirmed its identity as amber.

Prior to this finding, the oldest recognized amber coincided with the emergence of herbivorous animals, leading to the hypothesis that resin production by plants evolved primarily as a response to herbivory. However, this new evidence from the Middle Devonian period challenges that assumption. It suggests that vascular plants were already producing resin millions of years earlier through sophisticated biosynthetic pathways.

According to the researchers, this early resin formation likely served ecological functions such as wound healing and protection against pathogens, helping plants to survive in the harsh terrestrial environments of the Devonian era. The evolutionary adaptations indicated by this amber find provide new insights into the development of plant defense mechanisms long before the rise of most animal groups capable of causing damage.

The discovery not only extends the timeline of resin production but also enhances understanding of plant evolution and their interactions within prehistoric ecosystems. It highlights the complexity of early terrestrial life and the strategies plants employed to adapt and thrive hundreds of millions of years ago.