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封面图展示的是有着9900万年历史的一只蝎子,它是成千上万块标本中的一块,被完美地保存在琥珀中,为我们提供了前所未有的白垩纪森林生活的视角。但在饱受战争破坏的缅甸,琥珀通常在没有科学监督的情况下被挖掘出来,走私到中国,然后在商业市场上出售。中国科学家们正在研究这个属于私人收藏品的标本。

This 99-million-year-old scorpion,perfectly preserved in amber,is one of thousands of specimens offering an unprecedented view of the life of a Cretaceous forest.But the amber is typically excavated without scientific oversight in war-torn Myanmar,smuggled into China,and then sold in a commercial market.Chinese scientists are studying this specimen,which belongs to a private collection.