1.   Poinar, for his part, agreed that very little damage can be tolerated to rare amber fossils.

2.   The aim is to turf up thousands of rare fossils, which can then be prepared as individual specimens for discerning fossil collectors in America, Germany and Japan.

3.   They walk through quarry sites that have been reconstructed and see rare fossils, and they learn how scientists reconstruct the past.

4.   Without expert supervision, amateurs could damage rare fossils and all the clues they contain about a largely extinct world, Horner said.