37,000-Year-Old Thorny Bamboo Fossil Found in Manipur
Why in the news
A rare fossil gave clues on bamboo defences and Ice Age climate in Northeast India.
Key facts
- Age: 37,000 years; finders: Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP), under DST.
- Site: Chirang River deposits, Manipur.
- Preserved: thorn scars, nodes and buds.
Significance
- Herbivore-defence traits evolved before or during the Ice Age.
- Northeast India was a climatic refugium, while bamboo vanished from regions like Europe.
- Traits resemble modern thorny bamboos such as Bambusa bambos.
Exam angle
- Institute: BSIP; species: Chimonobambusa manipurensis.
- Term: climatic refugium; Indo-Burma hotspot.