Newly discovered amber reveals Antarctica once looked very different

ANTARCTICA (WKRC) – Scientists recently discovered amber fragments that suggest the snow-covered continent of Antarctica could have once been a lush jungle.

The idea that Antarctica once looked like an entirely different part of the world has been around for a while. Explorers throughout history have discovered fossilized evidence that trees likely existed in the area, like roots and pollen, but were not able to definitively prove exactly what the landscape looked like.

A new study from Antarctic Science revealed that an examination of amber fragments discovered in 2017 revealed that trees not only existed in Antarctica, but thrived. Not only that, but the trees produced resin (which became amber), implying that the climate was entirely different to what it is today.

That alone would be an interesting discovery, but the find’s impact goes beyond history books. The period in which Antarctica looked like a lush jungle was a period in which the world was filled with greenhouse gasses, according to BGR.

Although the world may never return to the hostile environments of the mid-Cretaceous period in which Antarctica’s jungle grew, our future could certainly include living in a greenhouse-gas-filled world.

As the atmosphere continues to fill with carbon emissions and greenhouses gases, amber remains from a hostile world could help scientists understand how life can prevail in such a harsh environment.

It’s a novel idea, using fragments from millions of years ago to try to prevent issues in the future, but time will only tell how useful the researcher’s findings will be.