Cheap Beats By Dre Researchers at the University of Manchester say they have discovered a 16 million-year-old springtail hitchhiking on the wings of mayflies. Researchers say that a CT scan of amber has revealed the very first evidence of any creature hitchhiking on the wings of an adult mayfly. Tiny springtails are likely using mayflies for transportation today, researchers note, but this is the first time that this type of activity has been recorded.

Researchers say that the CT scan showed a small springtail sitting at the base of one of the mayflys wings.Cheap Beats The ancient springtail looks to have secured itself to the mayfly via its prehensile antennae. David Penney and his research team deployed a high resolution CT scanner to process over 3,000 X-rays from different views. Using cross sections of the amber, the scientists developed 3D digital images of the springtail.

The images are really impressive. This pioneering approach to studying fossils has allowed us an insight into the聽behavior聽of one of the worlds most prevalent organisms,says Mr. Penney.

Beats By Dre Cheap After reviewing the 3D digital images of the springtail, scientists believe that the springtail was trying to leap away from the mayfly as the amber encased the two creatures (a space of 50 micrometers separated the two).

The springtails, which scientists say are 1-2 mm long, are found around the globe in copious numbers. Springtails are able to colonize newly-formed islands but scientists know very little about how they travel because the springtail leaps away from danger using its furca on the underside of the abdomen. Their nervous behavior makes them extremely difficult to observe.

Scientists have evidence of one other case Cheap Dr Dre Beats of phoresy for springtails. They found five springtails hooked onto the leg of a harvestman in a聽piece聽of Baltic amber. This is the first time that phoresy has been recorded in adult mayflies because their lifespans are very short and their adult lives are dedicated primarily to reproduction.

I had initially thought the creature on the mayfly may have been a tiny nymphal pseudoscorpion, as they are known to use other creatures for transport, and this聽behavior聽is not uncommon to see in amber. I was interested in the fact that this was the first time a creature had been found on an adult mayfly but I didnt truly appreciate the significance of my find until I used the CT scanner and was able to identify the animal as Beats By Dre Cheap a springtail,says Mr. Penney.

Scientists say that without the amber specimen, observing the behavior of the mayfly and the springtail would be nearly impossible. The mayfly likely died instantaneously as the resin flowed over it. Scientists point out that the mayfly and springtail were unlikely to have been brought together by the resin flow.

Cheap Beats By Dre The CT scan allows us to build up a 3D image that catches minute details of the animal. We can rotate the image to see parts of the creature that are obscured when looking from the outside in. In effect, we are able to digitally dissect the fossil without causing any damage to it whatsoever. This technology has聽revolutionized聽how we study fossils and the findings are incredibly exciting,says Mr. Penney.http://www.cheapbeatsbydrestore.org/