Newly Discovered Insect Fossils Teach Us More About Evolution
In one of science’s latest discoveries, researchers found perfectly preserved whitefly fossils from 15 million years ago in New Zealand, still attached to their original leaf. These newly discovered insect fossils, only 1.5mm long, emerged from ancient crater lake sediments near Dunedin. The specimens show unique body features, unlike modern whiteflies, with distinctly defined segments. This remarkable science news expands New Zealand’s insect fossil record from just seven pre-Ice Age specimens two decades ago to 750 today, giving scientists a better understanding of how forest ecosystems evolved through time.