Chinese paleontologists have unearthed what they claim is the oldest amber ever discovered—a fossilized resin approximately 385 million years old (Middle Devonian), surpassing the previous record holders by about 65 million years. This groundbreaking find indicates that resin production in plants evolved long before the advent of seed plants.

“Fossilized amber, specifically resin, is believed to be one of the exudates from ancient seed plants,” stated Dr. Cihang Luo, a researcher at the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with the Senckenberg Institute and Museum of Natural History.

“Seed plants typically produce resin through specialized secretory tissues located on the plant’s surface or through wider endocrine systems linked to bark and wood.”

“These resins consist of intricate mixtures of primarily terpenoid and phenolic compounds, aiding plants in recovering from a range of biotic and abiotic damage, including threats from pests, microbial infections, and wildfires.”

“The resin hardens and transforms into amber during diagenetic and degenerative processes under high temperatures and pressures.”

“The sticky resin can encase organisms, preserving them in amber as fossils, which provide critical insights into the evolution of terrestrial ecosystems.”

In their study, Dr. Luo and his collaborators analyzed around 10 kg of coal sourced from the Hujasite seam near Hokstulgay, in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

The team employed ultraviolet light to reveal tiny amber fragments embedded within the coal, ultimately extracting 241 minute pieces, most measuring just 0.1 to 0.5 mm in diameter, using a microscope.

Most ambers range from translucent to opaque and vary in color from pale yellow to deep brown.

Some fragments include air bubbles, and the fossils emit a bright blue fluorescence under ultraviolet illumination.

The amber-bearing layers of the Fusielsite Formation are dated to the Middle Devonian, approximately 385 million years ago.

Previously, the oldest amber confidently recognized dated from the late Carboniferous period around 320 million years ago.

“Amber serves as a unique repository of environmental, diagenetic, and biological data; however, its availability is not constant throughout Earth’s history,” the researchers noted.

“Before the Permian era, only two clear records of amber exist, both from the Carboniferous period—one from the Late Carboniferous (320 million years ago) in the United States, likely produced by Cordaitales, an extinct seed plant group related to conifers, and one from the latest Carboniferous (300 million years ago) in Canada from fern seeds.”

Utilizing Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy along with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, scientists discovered that the chemical makeup of Fusielsite amber closely resembles resins generated by modern and fossilized conifers, rather than flowering plants.

This finding is significant, as seed plants had not yet evolved when this resin was formed.

The authors hypothesize that the resin was likely produced by pregymnosperms, an extinct group of seedless plants that eventually led to seed plants, or by ancient woody lycopsids, a lineage of vascular plants.

Fossils from both plant groups have been identified in the Hoosier site formation. While amber does not preserve plant tissue, its precise origin remains unknown.

This discovery suggests that the biochemical mechanisms necessary to create complex terpenoid-based resins—previously thought to be exclusive to seed plants—had already emerged in certain non-seed plants by the mid-Devonian.

The researchers propose that early resins likely functioned to seal wounds and prevent fungal infections, rather than deterring insect feeding, as substantial evidence of insect damage on plant tissues only appears in the fossil record starting in the Carboniferous.

They also highlight that ancient wildfires, common during this period, may have driven the development of wound-sealing resins.

“Our chemically verified Fusielsite amber is the oldest amber ever identified,” they stated.

“It shares a comparable chemical composition with conifer amber and offers insights into the early evolution of terpenoid resin biosynthesis in vascular plants.”

“Given its mid-Devonian age, Fusielsite amber most likely originates from non-seed plants.”

“Previously, all known fossil resins derived from seed plants (spermatophytes), a lineage that encompasses pterophytes (seed ferns), gymnosperms, and angiosperms.”

“Seed plants first appeared and proliferated during the Late Devonian (Famennian, 372 to 359 million years ago), which is later than the period of the Fusielsite amber.”

“Thus, while the chemistry of Hoosiersite amber and gymnosperm resins is similar, it is improbable that seed plants are the source of this amber.”

“If this reasoning holds, then Husielsite amber would represent the oldest recorded fossil resin produced by a non-seed plant.”

For further details, refer to the research paper published in a scientific journal on July 15th in Scientific Progress.

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Jihan Lu et al. 2026. The oldest amber from the Middle Devonian period in China. Scientific Progress 12(29); doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aeh1266