New technology helps paleontologists see Ice-Age bee in intricate detail

Scientists in California recently used CT scanning technology to capture remarkably detailed photos of an Ice Age bee, preserved in a nest of ancient leaves.

The Megiachile gentiles specimen -- a species of bee that’s still alive today -- was first excavated from Los Angeles' La Brea tar pits in the 1970s, but the fossil was too delicate to be investigated by hand. So it was set aside.

Now, with new infrared technologies, scientists have been able to analyze fossils with great precision. And for the first time since the bee nest was dug up, paleontologists have been able to peer inside to witness a the tiny pupae, or baby bee.