A one-of-a-kind Dinosaur fossil has been discovered in a sample of Amber found in a market in Myitkyina, Myanmar. The specimen had already been polished to be used in jewellery, as the seller believed the material inside was a plant. Lida Xing, the scientist who found the sample, gave it a closer inspection and realised that it was in fact from a small feathered dinosaur and is the first time a dinosaur specimen has been found in Amber. This is also the first time dinosaur feathers have been seen in their original arrangement. When they have been found in other fossilised forms, the tails have been crushed. This discovery has given scientists a valuable insight into how modern birds’ feathers developed – and all discovered in a piece of Amber!
Image courtesy of Royal Saskatchewan Museum (RSM / R.C. McKellar).
