Editing Fossil (section)

=== Resin ===
{{Main|Amber}}

[[File:Leptofoenus pittfieldae (male) rotated.JPG|thumb|The wasp ''[[Leptofoenus pittfieldae]]'' trapped in [[Dominican amber]], from 20 to 16&nbsp;million years ago. It is known only from this specimen.]]

Fossil resin (colloquially called [[amber]]) is a natural [[polymer]] found in many types of strata throughout the world, even the [[Arctic]]. The oldest fossil resin dates to the [[Triassic]], though most dates to the [[Cenozoic]]. The excretion of resin by certain plants is thought to be an evolutionary [[adaptation]] for to protect against insects and to seal wounds. Fossil resin often contains other fossils, called inclusions, that were captured by the sticky resin. These include bacteria, fungi, other plants, and animals. Animal inclusions are usually small [[invertebrate]]s, predominantly [[arthropod]]s such as insects and spiders, and only extremely rarely a [[vertebrate]] such as a small lizard. Preservation of inclusions can be exquisite, including small fragments of [[DNA]].