Time capsule amber

We look for it on the beach, wear it as jewelry or examine it under a microscope - people have always been fascinated by amber. Called the tears of the gods or the gold of the Vikings, the concept of amber is now inextricably linked with the cultural icon of the Amber Room or the Hollywood blockbuster Jurassic Park.

For scientists, it is the occasional animal or plant inclusions that make amber a fascinating field of research - as a unique window into the past. Due to its consistency, amber enables the almost perfect preservation of fragile or delicate structures such as feathers or even the smallest insects. Using various examples, Dr. Volker Lohrmann, curator of the insect collection at the Übersee-Museum Bremen, will explain what amber actually is, where it comes from and what science can learn from the fossils it contains with the help of modern research methods.

The lecture is free of charge.