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Mapping of this region began five years ago, back in 2019.
Researchers have discovered the oldest forest on Earth inside a derelict quarry near Cairo, New York. Embedded in 385-million-year-old rock, these fossils preserve the petrified roots of numerous ancient trees. This discovery marks a pivotal moment in Earth’s timeline. Trees develop these roots and play an important role in extracting and sequestering carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere, causing profound changes in Earth’s climate and ultimately forming the atmosphere we experience today. played a role.
BBC The researchers reported that while they already knew ancient forests existed, this was the first time they had been properly surveyed to determine the age of the plants and trees growing there.
Ancient forests contain evidence of early plants, some of which are thought to have existed at the time of the dinosaurs.
Researchers from Binghamton University in the US and Cardiff University in Wales estimate that the forest once covered a vast area of about 400 kilometers (about 250 miles).
Mapping of this region began five years ago, back in 2019.
After studying fossils of a variety of plants and trees in the area, researchers found that this area is the oldest known forest on Earth. Notable ancient forests include the Amazon rainforest and the forests of Yakushima, Japan.
Their discovery involves paleobotanical research. Paleo means old or ancient, and botany is the study of plants. That means studying ancient plants.
“You’re walking at the base of an ancient tree,” says Dr Christopher Berry, a palaeobotanist at Cardiff University.
In contrast to the majority of modern trees, the ancient trees present in this forest did not reproduce by releasing seeds that grew into new trees.
Some fossilized trees found in this forest relied on spores for reproduction. If you’ve studied fungi, the term “spore” may be familiar to you. Fungi similarly disperse and multiply by releasing spores into the air.
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