Posted: 7/12/2006 12:42:41 PM EDT
Say you find a piece of amber with a lizard in it. If you break it open will the lizard still be soft. mummitized, what? Ive heard stories of people being able to smell fish when they first uncover fish fossiles. |
| it depends on if the lizard was completely covered in the sap before it set up. if even the tip of the tail was sticking out, then all the moisture would eventually wick out of the lizard (still making an incredible speciment, btw, which any paleontologist would go nuts over). if it was 100% covered by the amber, then it would be a priceless piece. the fluids in the lizard would have broken down some and seperated, but it would still be "soft" and very valuable. |
Recently, scientistst found red blood cells in the marrow of some dinosaur fossils. |
as it dries from the outside in, it would seal in the moisture somewhat and the contents deep within would retain a lot of it's moisture. |
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here's a real answer, and frankly has already been touched upon. If you had a large chunk of amber without any goodies in it, then the moisture in the center of the sap migrates (diffuses) to the outside over time. If there was a soft, moist sample of some bug or animal in the center, you would expect the moisture to diffuse out over time, and the resins from the sap to infuse into the sample, aiding in preserving it. Over time, as the resins in the amber harden, so do the resins in the sample. You might get some organic information, but its not like you dipped a lizard into epoxy and it hardened before the lizard could break down or dry out. Edit for mixed tenses. |