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Related Concept Videos

The Fossil Record02:56

The Fossil Record

The fossil record documents only a small fraction of all organisms that have ever inhabited Earth. Fossilization is a rare process, and most organisms never become fossils. Moreover, the fossil record only exhibits fossils that have been discovered. Nevertheless, sedimentary rock fossils of long-lived, abundant, hard-bodied organisms dominate the fossil record. These fossils offer valuable information, such as an organism's physical form, behavior, and age. Studying the fossil record helps...
What is Evolutionary History?02:35

What is Evolutionary History?

Scientists record evolutionary history by analyzing fossil, morphological, and genetic data. The fossil record documents the history of life on Earth and provides evidence for evolution. However, both fossil and living organisms offer evidence that outlines Earth’s evolutionary history.
The Evidence for Evolution02:55

The Evidence for Evolution

Genetic variations accumulating within populations over generations give rise to biological evolution. Evolutionary changes can result in the formation of novel varieties and entire new species. These changes are responsible for the diverse forms of life inhabiting the planet. The evidence for evolution suggests that all living organisms descended from common ancestors.
Phylogeny01:23

Phylogeny

Phylogeny is concerned with the evolutionary diversification of organisms or groups of organisms. A group of organisms with a name is called a taxon (singular). Taxa (plural) can span different levels of the evolutionary hierarchy. For instance, the group containing all birds is a taxon (comprising the class Aves), and the group of all species of daisies (the genus Bellis) is a taxon. Phylogenies can likewise include just one genus (i.e., depict species relationships) or span an entire kingdom.
Radioactive Decay and Radiometric Dating02:48

Radioactive Decay and Radiometric Dating

Radioactivity is a spontaneous disintegration of an unstable nuclide and is a random process, as all the nuclei in the sample do not decay simultaneously. The number of disintegrations per unit time is called the activity (A), which is directly proportional to the number of nuclei in the sample. The decay constant (λ) is an average probability of decay per nucleus in unit time.
Synteny and Evolution02:31

Synteny and Evolution

John H. Renwick first coined the term “synteny” in 1971, which refers to the genes present on the same chromosomes, even if they are not genetically linked. The species with common ancestry tend to show conserved syntenic regions. Therefore, the concept of synteny is nowadays used to describe the evolutionary relationship between species.
Around 80 million years ago, the human and mice lineages diverged from the common ancestor. During the course of evolution, the ancestral chromosome underwent...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 15, 2026

Using Archival Japanese Paper and Thermoplastic Resins to Prepare Fossils for Storage, Display, Transport, and Radiography
07:30

Using Archival Japanese Paper and Thermoplastic Resins to Prepare Fossils for Storage, Display, Transport, and Radiography

Published on: November 14, 2025

Ants and the fossil record.

John S LaPolla1, Gennady M Dlussky, Vincent Perrichot

  • 1Department of Biological Sciences, Towson University, Towson, Maryland 21252, USA jlapolla@towson.edu

Annual Review of Entomology
|January 16, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Ancient ants were less dominant than today, appearing 100 million years ago. New imaging techniques improve the study of rare ant fossils, revealing their ancient diversity and paleobiology.

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Area of Science:

  • Paleontology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Entomology

Background:

  • Ants are currently dominant in terrestrial ecosystems.
  • The fossil record of ants is sparse, suggesting limited ecological roles in the Mesozoic Era.
  • Ant fossils are found as imprints or in amber, each with unique preservation biases.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the early evolution and paleobiology of ants.
  • To leverage new imaging technologies for analyzing ancient ant fossils.
  • To improve the identification of true ants within Mesozoic fossil assemblages.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of ant fossils using advanced imaging techniques.
  • Comparative morphology of fossilized ants and other insects.
  • Examination of fossil imprints and amber inclusions.

Main Results:

  • New imaging allows for detailed examination of ancient ant morphology.
  • Improved ability to distinguish true ants from mimic species in Mesozoic fossils.
  • Fossil discoveries are enhancing understanding of ant diversity and paleobiology.

Conclusions:

  • Ancient ants, though less dominant, possessed significant morphological diversity.
  • Modern imaging technologies are crucial for advancing the study of fossil ants.
  • Continued fossil discoveries will further illuminate ant evolutionary history and ecological roles.