Tag Archive for 'Pollen'

A fungus gnat trapped in Baltic amber some 45-55 million years ago is carrying on the upper portion of its severed leg a pollen sac from an orchid. Image credit: George Poinar, Jr.

45-55 Million Year Old Orchid Pollinaria Attached to Pollinating Insect Found in Piece of Baltic Amber

May 8, 2017 by News Staff

A new study published in the Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society documents evidence of an orchid fossil trapped in Baltic amber that dates back 45-55...

Reconstruction of Darwinylus marcosi on a gymnosperm host. Based on the pollen grains found in the amber with the beetle, paleobiologists believe that the beetle was closely associated with cycads, an ancient gymnosperm group of plants that have living relatives today throughout the warmer parts of the world. Image credit: Enrique Peñalver / Museo Geominero, Instituto Geológico y Minero de Espana.

105-Million-Year-Old Amber Preserves Pollinating Beetle, Pollen

Mar 3, 2017 by News Staff

An international team of paleobiologists has uncovered the fossil of a 105-million-year-old gymnosperm pollinating beetle, named Darwinylus marcosi. The...

Mexican amber ptilodactyline beetle with attached pollinium of Annulites mexicana (arrow). Scale bar - 0.4 mm. Image credit: George Poinar Jr.

Ancient Beetles Pollinated Orchids 20 Million Years Ago

Aug 22, 2016 by News Staff

Certain beetles are known to pollinate plants. New fossil evidence from Mexican and Dominican fossilized amber indicates that they were doing so 20 million...

Small pollen particles can hold condensation for cloud formation. Image credit: Brin Weins.

Pollen Grains Can Influence Climate, Scientists Say

May 6, 2015 by News Staff

According to a team of researchers led by Prof Allison Steiner of the University of Michigan, tiny pollen particles may make it rain. Small pollen particles...