Tree
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Our Sun is capable of terrifying outbursts – and now scientists have discovered evidence of its biggest tantrum on record. Tree rings dating back 14,000 years contain a radiocarbon spike twice as powerful as the previous biggest known solar storm.
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Although artificial reefs certainly do help restore damaged marine ecosystems, they're usually made of heavy manmade materials that must be formed into shape. Now, however, scientists are reporting success using readily-available dead pear trees.
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Conventional breeding of trees takes time, but CRISPR gene editing should help speed things up. Now, scientists at North Carolina State University have used CRISPR to adjust the genomes of poplar trees to make them easier to turn into paper products.
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Often referred to as the lungs of the planet, the Amazon rainforest is in trouble – with around a third reported as already gone or degraded. A pocket of resistance in Peru has now been joined by a dual-armed robotic gardener to help with reforestation.
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About 18% of the Amazon rainforest has been cut down since the 1970s. Seeking ways to help get some of that lost forestland back, researchers have turned to a rich soil created by the activities of the Amerindians thousands of years ago.
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Even though logging is prohibited in many of the world's forests, that doesn't stop some companies from logging in those areas anyways, then lying about the origins of the timber. Such groups may soon be foiled by the wood's chemical fingerprint.
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We all know that trees help clean the air in cities, but which trees do so best? According to new research conducted in Sweden, a mixture of deciduous and coniferous trees will give you the most bang for your buck.
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If you want to know which animals are present in a given location, a good way of finding out is to look for their cast-off DNA. A new drone is designed to help scientists do so, by autonomously sticking itself to tree branches.
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Breeding plants can give them new beneficial traits, but trees have a frustratingly long reproductive cycle. Now, scientists at the University of Georgia have used CRISPR gene-editing to make poplar trees flower within months rather than a decade.
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Trees can provide scientists with a way to look back into the past. Now, researchers have used tree-ring data to determine that a massive drought could have spurred incursions by Hunnic hordes into the eastern Roman Empire in the 430-450s CE.
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The way animals disperse seeds throughout landscapes is known to be an important element in promoting growth of forested areas, and a new study over an extended timeframe has shed valuable new light on this process.
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Tree rings can preserve a snapshot of the Earth throughout the tree's life. Now Australian scientists analyzing these records have found evidence of huge radiation storms that periodically bathe the planet – and their origin remains a mystery.
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