Most people know that to figure out how old a tree is, you count its rings. Few people, however, realize that the study of tree rings has made amazing contributions to our understanding of Earth's climate and its influences on the last 2,000 years of human history. In her captivating new book, Tree Story, Valerie Trouet reveals how the seemingly simple and relatively familiar concept of counting tree rings has inspired momentous scientific breakthroughs that illuminate the complex interactions between nature and people. ...
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Most people know that to figure out how old a tree is, you count its rings. Few people, however, realize that the study of tree rings has made amazing contributions to our understanding of Earth's climate and its influences on the last 2,000 years of human history. In her captivating new book, Tree Story, Valerie Trouet reveals how the seemingly simple and relatively familiar concept of counting tree rings has inspired momentous scientific breakthroughs that illuminate the complex interactions between nature and people. Trouet, a leading tree-ring scientist, takes us out into the field, from remote African villages to radioactive Russian forests, offering an insider's look at the discipline known formally as dendrochronology. Tracing her own journey while exploring dendrochronology's origin and applications, Trouet describes how tell-tree cores are collected and dated with ring-by-ring precision, and explains the astonishing insights we've gained from the resulting samples. Blending popular science, travelogue, and cultural history, Tree Story highlights exciting findings of tree-ring research, including the fate of lost pirate treasures, successful strategies for surviving California wildfires, the secret to Genghis Khan's victories, the connection between Egyptian pharaohs and volcanoes, and even the role of olives in the fall of Rome. These fascinating stories are deftly woven together to demonstrate the ways in which dendrochronology sheds light on global climate dynamics and uncovers the clear links between humans and our leafy neighbors. Trouet delights us with her dedication to the tangible appeal of studying trees, a passion that has taken her around the globe and has enabled scientists to solve long-pondered mysteries of Earth and its human inhabitants. --
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