{"id":117998,"date":"2024-10-24T23:51:49","date_gmt":"2024-10-24T16:51:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=117998"},"modified":"2024-10-24T23:51:49","modified_gmt":"2024-10-24T16:51:49","slug":"firefly-fossil-reveals-a-previously-undiscovered-species-that-flickered-during-the-time-of-dinosaurs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=117998","title":{"rendered":"Firefly fossil reveals a previously undiscovered species that flickered during the time of dinosaurs"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-editable=\"content\" itemprop=\"articleBody\" data-reorderable=\"content\">\n<p data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/editor-note\/instances\/cm2m98v1p000d3b5vm8pwirb4@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"editor-note\" class=\"editor-note vossi-editor-note inline-placeholder \" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n    <em>Sign up for CNN\u2019s Wonder Theory science newsletter.\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/newsletters\/wonder-theory?source=nl-acq_article\"><em>Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more<\/em><\/a>.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n    <cite class=\"source__cite\"><br \/>\n      <span class=\"source__location\" data-editable=\"location\"\/><br \/>\n      <span class=\"source__text\" data-editable=\"source\">CNN<\/span><br \/>\n        \u00a0\u2014\u00a0<br \/>\n    <\/cite>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2m963z0007x2cp2057ie2v7@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            When dinosaurs roamed Earth, their surroundings looked very different than the world of today. But there were also some similarities. And now scientists have confirmed a new one: Diverse firefly species lit up the night during the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/science\/Mesozoic-Era\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">late Mesozoic<\/a>.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2nc4kjj00013b5wur3at91e@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            The discovery comes from a fossil of an ancient firefly species that was initially discovered in 2016, trapped in 99 million-year-old\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2021\/09\/14\/world\/ancient-spider-amber-scn\/index.html\">Burmese amber<\/a>\u00a0from northern Myanmar. The beetle is only the second firefly species from the Mesozoic to be identified.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2nc4kjj00023b5w0trfzi3c@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Scientists estimated that fireflies evolved aerial bioluminescence, the ability to glow during flight, at least 100 million years ago in a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/royalsocietypublishing.org\/doi\/10.1098\/rspb.2022.0821\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">July 2022 study<\/a>\u00a0that analyzed the first Mesozoic firefly fossil that was described in 2015. But because firefly remains from this period can be difficult to come by since the insects\u2019 softer bodies don\u2019t preserve well in the fossil record, the evolution of the beetles and their bioluminescence has been difficult to pinpoint, experts say.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2nc4kjk00033b5wyfhxek8w@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            The recently identified species, dubbed Flammarionella hehaikuni, could help researchers better understand\u00a0the early evolution of fireflies and this characteristic trait, according to a study published September 11 in the journal\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/royalsocietypublishing.org\/doi\/10.1098\/rspb.2024.1671\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences<\/a>.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2nc4kjk00043b5wqcqjzbf9@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cThe fossil helps bridge gaps in understanding the evolutionary history of the lampyroid beetles (the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/animal\/firefly-insect\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">beetle family<\/a>\u00a0fireflies belong to) and shows that key traits, like abdominal light organs, have remained consistent since the mid-Cretaceous,\u201d said lead study author Chenyang Cai, professor at Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, in an email.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2nc4kjk00053b5w4bt25fx6@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cHow cool is it that dinosaurs once saw fireflies flying at dusk?\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/image\/instances\/cm2m97g6t00083b5v0mjv6x1r@published\" class=\"image image__hide-placeholder\" data-image-variation=\"image\" data-name=\"3-light organ.jpg\" data-component-name=\"image\" data-observe-resizes=\"\" data-breakpoints=\"{\" image--eq-extra-small=\"\" data-original-ratio=\"0.6666666666666666\" data-original-height=\"2832\" data-original-width=\"4248\" data-url=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/3-light-organ.jpg?c=original\" data-editable=\"settings\">\n<div class=\"image__container \" data-image-variation=\"image\" data-breakpoints=\"{\" image--eq-extra-small=\"\">\n       <picture class=\"image__picture\"><source height=\"2832\" width=\"4248\" media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/3-light-organ.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"2832\" width=\"4248\" media=\"(min-width: 960px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/3-light-organ.jpg?q=w_1015,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"2832\" width=\"4248\" media=\"(min-width: 480px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/3-light-organ.jpg?q=w_1160,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"2832\" width=\"4248\" media=\"(max-width: 479px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/3-light-organ.jpg?q=w_680,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/3-light-organ.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill\" alt=\"The light organ located in the ancient species' abdomen is similar to ones seen in modern fireflies.\" class=\"image__dam-img image__dam-img--loading\" onload=\"this.classList.remove('image__dam-img--loading')\" onerror=\"imageLoadError(this)\" height=\"2832\" width=\"4248\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3 class=\"subheader inline-placeholder\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/subheader\/instances\/cm2nc4kwq000h3b5wowhi93oo@published\" data-component-name=\"subheader\" id=\"fireflies-in-the-land-of-dinosaurs\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n        Fireflies in the land of dinosaurs<br \/>\n<\/h3>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2nc4kjk00063b5wb9a1daey@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Upon first look of the firefly fossil in 2016, Cai said he thought the beetle was a type of click beetle in the Elateridae family \u2014 similar to a separate species Cai also helped to identify from Burmese\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2021\/01\/19\/world\/bioluminescent-beetle-fossil-discovery-scn\/index.html\">amber in 2021<\/a>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0due to the fossilized insect\u2019s unique serrate antennae that modern fireflies do not have. But when he revisited the peculiar fossil described in the new study in late 2022, Cai noticed the well-preserved light organ, a characteristic of fireflies.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2nc4kjk00073b5wobuslo3o@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            There are\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/lampyridae.world\/#\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">10 past firefly species<\/a>\u00a0that are only known from fossils, said Dr. Oliver Keller, a research museum collection specialist at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor who has studied the systematics and taxonomy of fireflies.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2nc4kjk00083b5wdrgqnmer@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cThe significance of this discovery is in the rarity of fossils of fireflies from that period,\u201d Keller said via email. Because only one other Cretaceous firefly species has been identified, \u201cthis new species can be used to revisit the (July 2022 study) to better date the evolution of fireflies given the new evidence,\u201d he added. Keller was not part of the new study or the 2022 research.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2nc4kjk00093b5w6snvtkz3@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Fireflies glow for a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/earth\/fireflies-light-up-why-how\/#:~:text=The%20light%20of%20a%20firefly,off%20the%20firefly's%20familiar%20glow.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">multitude of reasons<\/a>, most commonly as a defense mechanism and a way to communicate and attract mates. While it is hard to speculate how the flashes would have looked 100 million years ago, it is possible they would have looked similar to those seen today, Keller said.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2nc4kjk000a3b5wrrms2ppm@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            The study authors named the beetle as a homage to French astronomer Camille Flammarion and Haikun He,<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>an amateur collector<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>who had donated several other amber specimens to the authors, according to the study.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2nc4kjk000b3b5wg6v8bnvb@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            There are more than 2,000 firefly species found today, according to the\u00a0Natural History Museum\u00a0in London. The study authors hypothesize that the newly reported ancient firefly species belonged to the Luciolinae, a subfamily that currently includes about 450 species, due to the placement of the light organ on the insect\u2019s abdomen, said study coauthor Dr. Robin Kundrata, an entomologist and an associate professor in the department of zoology at the Palack\u00fd University Olomouc in the Czech Republic.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2nc4kjk000c3b5wkhjx44il@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            However, no existing Luciolinae species sports the peculiar antennae that the fossil had, which the authors suspect would also differ depending on the sex of the insect, according to the study. The newly identified fossil is that of a female.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2nc4kjl000d3b5w2af73qwx@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            What\u2019s more, the firefly fossil, which measures less than 1 centimeter (0.4 inch) long, is morphologically different from the other specimen identified in 2015, showing that the light organs of Mesozoic species were more diverse than once thought but still similar to ones in modern fireflies, Kundrata said in an email.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2nc4kjl000e3b5wtujx1epx@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            The authors said they hope more firefly fossils from the Mesozoic will come to light to further scientists\u2019 understanding of the mysterious origins of the bioluminescent beetles.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cm2nc4kjl000f3b5wdjdqilho@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cBased on the recent knowledge, fireflies originated in the Mesozoic Era although the more precise period of their origin remains unclear. \u2026 Future discoveries may reveal further information on their diversity and morphology,\u201d Kundrata said. \u201cSince there is no information about the immature stages of fireflies from their early evolution, we would be happy for discoveries of fossil larval specimens from Mesozoic.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/10\/24\/science\/firefly-fossil-mesozoic-bioluminescence-evolution\/index.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sign up for CNN\u2019s Wonder Theory science newsletter.\u00a0Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. CNN \u00a0\u2014\u00a0 When dinosaurs roamed Earth, their surroundings looked very different &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=117998\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8628],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-117998","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-science","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117998","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=117998"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117998\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=117998"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=117998"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=117998"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}