Tiny creatures European found in ancient part of central Asia (8)
I believe the answer is:
bacteria
'tiny creatures european found in ancient part of central asia' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this definition defines the answer.
'european found in ancient part of central asia' is the wordplay.
'european' becomes 'E' (abbreviation e.g. EU).
'found in' is an insertion indicator.
'ancient part of central asia' becomes 'Bactria' (ancient Central Asian region).
'e' put within 'bactria' is 'BACTERIA'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for bacteria that I've seen before include "Microscopic organisms, may cause disease" , "Micro-organisms, often pathogens" , "Single-cell organisms, can be good or bad for you" , "Tiny organisms found in bait race" , "Single-celled microorganisms" .)