A window to the past: arachnids in amber
The CeNak houses unique and rich collections of arachnids in Baltic and Bitterfeld ambers. We are currently using these collections to better understand arachnid biodiversity in the Eocene, some 45 million years ago. We aim to describe representative fossil species and reconstruct them using modern methods, such as micro-CT and synchotron imaging. We further aim to compare this material with the current spider fauna in Europe and those preserved in other ambers, to understand arachnid evolution over time. We are collaborating for this project with DESY.