Detecting fossil geckos in the oldest amber

Researchers at Oregon State University and London's Museum of Natural History recently announced the discovery of the oldest fossil of a gecko, some of its body parts preserved intact later. 100 million years buried in amber.

Thanks to the amber's remarkable preservation ability, the tiny feet of the ancient gecko still retain the tiny 'leaves' , or sticky fingers. They themselves gave modern geckos the ability to adhere to surfaces or the ability to run on ceilings. Research programs around the world are always trying to simulate this unusual adhesion but only achieve limited success. However, the days of the gecko's flight were fossilized. Only its feet, toenails and partial tail are retained in amber. The remainder probably became lunch for a small dinosaur or some carnivore after an ancient war in Myanmar rainforest during the Cretaceous period (Cretaceous) from 97 million years to 110 million years ago.

The new fossil has a longer lifespan than the oldest known gecko fossil for at least 40 million years, shedding light on the evolution and history of the ancient wild gecko that glides under the feet of giant dinosaur. They are now very popular in tropical and subtropical regions around the world. The discovery was published in Zootaxa.

George Poinar is a professor at Oregon State University and one of the world's leading experts on insects, plants and other life forms fossilized in amber - semi-precious stones in the original form of sap . He said: 'Sticks under the feet are unique with the ability of geckos to adhere to them, making them an interesting group of animals. We were very fortunate to find the foot of the fossil remains intact. "

He added: 'People are very interested in geckos because of their unusual characteristics. Therefore, there are many people who are interested in this event. ' According to the researchers, based on the number of thin leaves on the leg mouth, the fossil gecko is probably very small. It will later mature to a relatively large size, possibly up to 1 fut (about 0.3 m) . Modern geckos are no longer than 16 inches in length , although millions of years ago there may have been larger geckos. The chameleon fossil has not been 1 inch long when it died, it may be eaten or attacked, as researchers only discovered some leftover parts.

The gecko fossil is recognized as a new species although now extinct, it is named Cretaceogekko. It has stripes, probably to disguise. There are more than 1,200 species of geckos in the world today, they appear popular in tropical regions including southern US territories. They are also often kept indoors. Tropical people feed them because they can catch insects. Some species have many colorful colors. They use long tongues to lick, clean and moisten their eyes.

A digital photograph of fossil photographs in amber was discovered by researchers at Oregon State University, fossils with legs and a part of the tail. (Photo: Image courtesy of OSU)

Poinar said: 'Gecko lives in the territory. When I lived in Africa and in the early 1980s, we used to keep them in the house. They are quite friendly and do not disturb people. We name them. Geckos will run around the house, catch flies and bugs. They can crawl up to the ceiling and look down at us. ' The new study provides evidence that geckos appeared in Asia about 100 million years ago, they evolved to have a miraculous foot structure at the time. Amber amber found in Hukawg valley in Myanmar. Throughout his life, geckos probably lived in the wet tropical forest where they often climbed.

The ability to crawl on vertical or even upside down geckos is due to thousands of hard, microscopic hairs on the toe that have a hair-like structure. Head hairs cling to the surface thanks to van der Walls force. It is an extremely dry, extremely sticky phenomenon that no other animal has.

It is not known exactly how old this group of geckos is, as well as when they evolve to get their toes attached. However, research clearly shows that this ability has occurred at least 100 million years ago. Modern research programs cannot yet simulate that ability.

Scientists at the University of California at Berkeley earlier this year announced that they have just created a new anti-slip adhesive that they think is artificial material that best mimics gecko's ability. According to them, the new product will help robots climb the walls. A team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology this year also built a water-resistant bandage that is inspired by geckos and could be used in surgery someday. Also geckos also become advertising symbols of Geico insurance company.

The study is just one of many studies that Poinar and his colleagues applied to the unusual characteristics of amber to understand ancient life forms as well as to gather information about ancient ecosystems. .

As the initial stone is sap oozing, amber can envelop small insects or other life forms and preserve them in nearly perfect condition so that humans can admire millions of years later.