Hunting Ancient Life Frozen in Burmese Amber

Guest: Paul Selden, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Invertebrate Paleontology, Director of the Paleontological Institute, University of Kansas In a remote corner of Myanmar – also known as Burma - gem collectors and paleontologists sift through golden dollops of fossilized tree sap. Some of the amber is rough, uncut lumps. Some is polished and set into pendants or bracelets. The most prized pieces have bits of the ancient world trapped inside: insects, plants, even birds and reptiles dating back to the days when dinosaurs roamed the earth.