Goethe never knew this 40-million-year-old ant was hidden in his collection

Article excerpt

Scientists peering into amber from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's personal collection have found three fossil insects that the 18th-century polymath never noticed, including an extinct ant so perfectly preserved that 3D imaging revealed its internal anatomy. The ant, hidden for 40 million years, shows structures never before visible in fossils of its kind, offering clues about how the species lived. Researchers believe it nested in trees, building sprawling colonies high in the canopy. The discovery demonstrates how modern scanning technology can unlock secrets even in long-studied collections, turning old curiosities into new scientific puzzles.