Scientists extracted 241 particles from a coal layer in Xinjiang and found compounds produced by plants long before the emergence of seeds
A coal layer formed in the Devonian period contained particles of 0.1 to 1.5 millimeters, almost invisible amidst the dark rock. Chemical analyses showed that the material is amber, a fossilized plant resin that helped primitive plants heal wounds and withstand fungi and fires.
The find is approximately 385 million years old and surpasses the previous record by about 65 million years. The discovery indicates that seedless vascular plants already mastered chemical defense mechanisms long before the appearance of conifers and modern forests.
Chinese researchers identified the oldest amber ever confirmed by chemical analyses within a thin coal layer of the Hujiersite Formation, located near Hoxtolgay, in the Xinjiang region, in northwest China.
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The material was described in a study published on July 15, 2026, in the scientific journal Science Advances. The research was conducted by Cihang Luo, from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology, affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with researchers from different institutions.
241 amber fragments were recovered from approximately 10 kilograms of coal. Most of the particles measured between 0.1 and 0.5 millimeters, while the largest specimen reached only 1.5 millimeters.
The estimated age of 385 million years places the material in the Middle Devonian, a period when plants began to grow in height, develop wood, deepen their roots, and occupy larger areas of the continents. The study pushes back the accepted timeline for the emergence of amber by approximately 65 million years.
A blue glow in the coal revealed particles that could go unnoticed
The team was not specifically looking for amber. The researchers were collecting large coal samples to study fossilized plants and reconstruct the environmental conditions existing in the region during the Devonian.
The discovery began when parts of the coal emitted a bright blue glow under ultraviolet light. This behavior can occur in fossilized resins, but fluorescence alone was not enough to prove the nature of the material.
The scientists manually separated the particles with the aid of microscopes. The fragments ranged from light yellow to dark brown, some were partially transparent, and others contained small bubbles preserved inside.
According to information from the scientific portal Phys.org, the team initially treated the particles only as organic matter similar to resin. The classification as amber was only adopted after different tests identified a molecular composition compatible with fossilized plant resins.
Care was necessary because organic materials present in coal can exhibit similar colors, textures, and reactions to light. An incorrect identification would alter a timeline constructed from extremely rare fossil records.
Chemical tests confirmed that the material was not just an organic stain
The researchers used Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, a technique capable of recognizing chemical bonds present in the sample. They also resorted to gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry, which separates and identifies specific molecules.
The results indicated the presence of terpenoid compounds, substances that are part of the composition of various plant resins. The chemical signature showed similarities with resins produced by current conifers and with fossilized specimens linked to this group.
This does not mean that a conifer produced the material found in China. Seed plants had not yet established themselves when the coal layer was formed, which practically eliminates these plants as a direct source of the resin.
According to the description published by Sci.News, the most likely candidates are the progymnosperms, an extinct group of seedless woody plants, or arborescent lycophytes, distant relatives of small plants that still exist today. Fossils of both groups have already been found in the Hujiersite Formation.
The plant that produced the resin remains unknown
No fragment was found directly linked to wood, bark, leaf, or other plant tissue that would allow identifying the responsible species. This is one of the main limitations recognized by the authors.
The chemical proximity to conifer resins provides clues about the production process but does not determine kinship. Different plant groups can develop similar chemical routes when facing similar environmental problems.
Scientists work with the hypothesis that some seedless vascular plant already had specialized systems capable of producing terpenes. This capability would require secretory structures and more complex biochemical mechanisms than those previously attributed to the vegetation of that time.
As reported by ScienceAlert, the discovery shows that the sophisticated production of resin emerged during a profound transformation of terrestrial environments. During that period, taller plants, wood, and deep roots began to modify the soil, water flow, and the physical structure of the continents.
Resin may have protected the first plants against fungi and fires
In current plants, resin acts like a kind of bandage. When the stem or bark is injured, the substance fills the damaged area, hardens upon contact with the environment, and reduces the entry of microorganisms.
In the Middle Devonian, there is still little evidence of insects feeding intensively on plant tissues. Therefore, researchers consider that resin probably first emerged as protection against parasitic fungi, physical injuries, and fires, rather than as a direct response to insect attacks.
Fire already affected areas with vegetation during that period. A plant capable of quickly sealing small lesions caused by heat, wind, or the fall of its own parts would have a better chance of surviving and continuing to grow.
This defense may have contributed to the expansion of vascular plants on the continents. The production of resin would have worked alongside other changes, such as more resistant stems, larger root systems, and structures capable of transporting water internally.
The scientific summary indexed by the Life Science Network points out that this capability may have favored the ecological success of Devonian and Carboniferous floras. The mechanism would allow for the closing of wounds and the protection of tissues during a phase when terrestrial vegetation was undergoing rapid diversification.
The age comes from the coal layer and not from a direct dating of the amber
Scientists did not determine the age of the particles in isolation. The 385 million years correspond to the geological age of the coal layer where they were embedded.
This layer had already been studied through its position among other rocks, fossilized plants, and spores preserved in the deposit. These elements allow the formation to be related to the Givetian stage of the Middle Devonian.
As the amber was integrated into the coal and showed no signs of having been transported later to the site, the team considers that the resin and the layer formed in the same geological interval. Still, the difference between directly dating the material and attributing the age of the deposit needs to be kept clear.
The previously widely accepted record came from the Upper Carboniferous and was about 320 million years old. The new sample considerably extends the known interval of resin production by terrestrial plants.
Even older fragments may be stored in other collections
The small size of the particles helps explain why similar records may have been overlooked. A piece just a few tenths of a millimeter in size hardly attracts attention during a conventional analysis of coal or sedimentary rock.
The authors suggest that deposits from the Lower Devonian, especially coal layers, shale rich in organic matter, and fine sediments, should be reexamined with ultraviolet light and more sensitive chemical methods. Materials already stored in universities and museums may also contain unidentified particles.
The discovery does not offer insects or leaves preserved inside the amber, as occurs in larger and more recent specimens. Its value lies in the chemical composition, which records a plant defense strategy used more than 140 million years before the emergence of the first dinosaurs.
Particles smaller than a grain of sand ended up revealing that Earth’s first green landscapes already harbored plants capable of producing complex defensive compounds. The exact origin of the resin remains open, but the Xinjiang record establishes a new reference point for the study of plant evolution.
Did you imagine that such ancient plants could already produce a chemical defense similar to that found in current trees? Leave your opinion in the comments and tell us which part of the discovery caught your attention the most.
