Scientists have discovered prehistoric insects preserved in amber at a sandstone quarry in Ecuador, dating back about 112 million years. The research, published in Communications Earth and Environment, revealed that beetles, flies, ants, and wasps were trapped in fossilized tree resin near the Amazon basin. Experts stated that this is the first time such insect fossils have been confirmed in South America. According to Fabiany Herrera of the Field Museum in Chicago, the discovery occurred during the early spread of flowering plants, a time of major ecological change. For many years, amber deposits from the past 130 million years were found mainly in the Northern Hemisphere, which left their absence in southern regions an unsolved question. The new find provides rare evidence from Gondwana, the ancient landmass that included present-day South America, and offers a clearer view of forests during the time of the dinosaurs.

The amber also preserved pollen, tree leaves, and conifers such as the unusual Monkey Puzzle Tree. Specialists explained that the fossils give valuable insight into biodiversity from the Cretaceous period. Ricardo Pérez-de la Fuente of Oxford University stated that amber allows scientists to study the relationship between insects and flowering plants, one of the most successful partnerships in nature. Co-author Carlos Jaramillo of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute added that miners had known of the deposits, but detailed study began only a decade ago. Researchers concluded that the discovery is significant because amber preserves organisms in exceptional detail, helping science understand ancient ecosystems.