Amber Reveals Ancient Dinosaur Ecology

In a study that brings back flashes of "Jurassic Park," researchers are studying pieces of amber found buried with dinosaur skeletons. But rather than re-creating dinosaurs, lead author Ryan McKellar is using the tiny pieces of fossilized tree resin to reveal more about dinosaur ecology, new research describes.

There is still much to be learned about the world in which these now-extinct behemoths lived, but information gained from these amber pieces could start to fill in those gaps.

"Basically it puts a backdrop to these dinosaur digs, it tells us a bit about the habitat," McKellar said in a statement. "Just a few of these little pieces among the bones can show a lot of information."

For example, they can show what kinds of plants once flourished and what the atmosphere was like at the time the amber was formed.