Ancient tick fossil holds the oldest mammal blood found

A seemingly insignificant event that occurred in an ancient tropical jungle has led to two stunning scientific discoveries. Around 20 to 30 millions years ago, a monkey picked a tick from the back of one of its grooming partners, roughly tossing the insect away. The fossilised remains of this creature struck a tree and became stuck in its sap, which hardened and turned to amber over the ensuing millennia. And this artefact has now provided rare specimens not only of the blood of our primate ancestors, but also the parasites that inhabited it - which still infect humans and other animals today. A unique specimen of fossilised mammal's blood has been found leaking from the preserved remains of an ancient tick (pictured).