This is the first time that the medical imaging technique, known as Very High Resolution X-Ray Computed Tomography, has been used to investigate a fossil in amber - and Dr Penney said it had the potential to "revolutionise" the way fossils were studied.

The spider is a male and a species new to science. It has been formally classified as Cenotextricella simoni. The scientists say that it would have inhabited a wooded area and lived in a warm climate.

Dr Penney is renowned for his expertise on arachnids, especially amber-trapped ones. He is currently studying spiders in a "living laboratory" in the African jungle.

The Belgian co-authors on the study are based at Ghent University.

Yeah science!