Spain’s Blue Amber Reveals a Rich Albian Forest Snapshot

Blue amber from El Soplao in Cantabria dates to the Albian (~105 million years ago) and preserves three‑dimensional bioinclusions, including the oldest tick and a debris‑camouflaging lacewing larva, plus evidence of pollen on a fly, offering a detailed view of Early Cretaceous forests during the rise of flowering plants; the site has produced ~1,500 specimens and 40 named species (32 new), making it a Konservat-Lagerstätte that illuminates Cretaceous ecosystems, though questions like ants’ absence remain; findings were published in August 2026 in the Journal of the Geological Society.