<p>things need to be exposed to bacteria to rot, amber produces a perfect form fitting seal and has several <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01629778500000141?journalCode=rbal20" rel="noreferrer">antimicrobial</a> properties to boot killing off bacteria that is already present. Even microbes trapped in amber become preserved. This makes a lot of sense when you realize the resin evolved to seal injuries in trees if it did not prevent the spread of bacteria it would not work. HOwever preservation in amber is <a href="https://europepmc.org/backend/ptpmcrender.fcgi?accid=PMC1689027&amp;blobtype=pdf" rel="noreferrer">not perfect</a> and the things do degrade, but do so so slowly that more geologically recently deposits have decayed so little is is almost undetectable, the type of resin also matters all resin is not equal and <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0195482" rel="noreferrer">some amber resins preserves better than others</a>. </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-06-08T12:30:06.017Z
2018-06-08T12:30:06.017Z
John
<p>I just saw an image of a gecko stuck in amber 58 million years ago.  Why don't animals rot when they are trapped in amber?  I've seen dry insects whose chitin shells persist for a long time away from water and scavengers, but things with skin rot and dramatically change in appearance in the outside world.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-06-08T16:47:22.990Z
I'm perplexed regarding the onslaught of votes to close for being off-topic. There are several unclosed questions at this site regarding fossils, and a few regarding amber.  Just because a question might be on-topic in another corner of the SE universe does not mean it is off-topic here.
David Hammen
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-25T01:47:17.923Z
I am curious as to what stack people think this belongs on if not earth science?
John
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-31T16:24:46.837Z
@John maybe biology!?!??  But I'm voting to reopen, for whatever it's worth now, as such questions that can't find a home seem worthwhile if somewhat on topic here, it's not like we're drowning in questions.  And if there's somewhere else to move it, it can be discussed.
JeopardyTempest
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-05T08:08:48.990Z
What if they rot? Rotting produces a lot of poisonous things and that kills the bacteria. If it is hermetically sealed, nothing rots away completely. For example, surströmming (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surstr%C3%B6mming) is a fish conserved without any salt or so. It becomes the most stinky food of the world, but it remains eatable.
peterh
<fossils><amber>
Why don't animals rot when trapped in amber?
Christopher Hostage
# Why don't animals rot when trapped in amber?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-06-07)

I just saw an image of a gecko stuck in amber 58 million years ago. Why don't animals rot when they are trapped in amber? I've seen dry insects whose chitin shells persist for a long time away from water and scavengers, but things with skin rot and dramatically change in appearance in the outside world.

**Tags:** fossils, amber

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I'm perplexed regarding the onslaught of votes to close for being off-topic. There are several unclosed questions at this site regarding fossils, and a few regarding amber.  Just because a question might be on-topic in another corner of the SE universe does not mean it is off-topic here.  
> **username_2**: I am curious as to what stack people think this belongs on if not earth science?  
> **username_3**: @username_2 maybe biology!?!??  But I'm voting to reopen, for whatever it's worth now, as such questions that can't find a home seem worthwhile if somewhat on topic here, it's not like we're drowning in questions.  And if there's somewhere else to move it, it can be discussed.  
> **username_4**: What if they rot? Rotting produces a lot of poisonous things and that kills the bacteria. If it is hermetically sealed, nothing rots away completely. For example, surströmming (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surstr%C3%B6mming) is a fish conserved without any salt or so. It becomes the most stinky food of the world, but it remains eatable.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2018-06-08. Score: 5

things need to be exposed to bacteria to rot, amber produces a perfect form fitting seal and has several [antimicrobial](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01629778500000141?journalCode=rbal20) properties to boot killing off bacteria that is already present. Even microbes trapped in amber become preserved. This makes a lot of sense when you realize the resin evolved to seal injuries in trees if it did not prevent the spread of bacteria it would not work. HOwever preservation in amber is [not perfect](https://europepmc.org/backend/ptpmcrender.fcgi?accid=PMC1689027&blobtype=pdf) and the things do degrade, but do so so slowly that more geologically recently deposits have decayed so little is is almost undetectable, the type of resin also matters all resin is not equal and [some amber resins preserves better than others](http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0195482).


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