Look at a satellite image of Earth today and it is tempting to think we understand its major landscapes. Forests occupy certain regions. Deserts occupy others. Grasslands stretch across broad areas. Ice dominates the poles. But today's Earth is only a snapshot. The planet has been through countless versions of itself. There have been periods when enormous areas that are now deserts were covered in vegetation. Forests have existed near the poles. Sea levels have risen and fallen dramatically. Glaciers have advanced across continents. Warm climates have extended much farther towards the poles. And ecosystems have appeared, expanded, fragmented and disappeared. Some of these vanished worlds were enormous. Some may have covered areas comparable to modern continents. Their plants, animals and ecological relationships were eventually transformed or destroyed. Yet the question remains: How much of Earth's ancient forest history has effectively disappeared? And could some of the ecosys...
Follow the Clues. Challenge the Narrative.