Specimen A
Classification
Succinite (Baltic amber)
Estimated Age
44–49 million years
Origin
Samland Peninsula, Russia. Forest no longer extant.
Contents
Diptera (gnat, species unknown). Complete. Wings partially extended, suggesting entrapment occurred mid-flight.
Medium
Polymerized diterpene resin. No known natural degradation pathway.
Transparency
Near-perfect. The contents appear almost alive.
Notes
Acquired by the museum in 1887. Has not degraded. Will not.
Specimen B
Classification
HDPE (high-density polyethylene)
Origin
Unknown. Recovered from the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre.
Contents
Meiofaunal assemblage: copepods, amphipods, foraminifera, integrated into surface over years of contact. Microorganism communities established.
Medium
Petroleum-derived polymer chain. No known natural degradation pathway.
Transparency
Clouded. Surface-fouled. Structurally intact.
Notes
Will not degrade. The contents — what lives now in its surface — appear almost alive.