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hubie [soylentnews.org] writes:

In the Cordillera Septentrional mountain range [mapcarta.com] of the Dominican Republic a sample of ancient amber was found to contain a perfectly preserved tick [livescience.com]. The gut of the tick appears to contain the only known example of ancient mammalian red blood cells. The amber is believed to be from between 15 and 45 million years ago. Based upon several puncture holes in the tick, it appears that the tick was plucked off its host while it was feeding, and given the fauna believed to be in the area at the time, it is assumed that a primate was the host.

Examination of the gorgeously preserved specimen also reveals the presence of myriad parasites in the tick's gut. In modern times, similar parasites, such as Babesia microti, infect the blood cells of mammals ranging from humans to cattle.

"The fossilized blood cells, infected with these parasites, are simply amazing in their detail. This discovery provides the only known fossils of Babesia-type pathogens," Poinar said.

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