News Earth

Catastrophic solar storms may not explain shadows of radiation in trees

Upticks in radiocarbon in ancient tree rings do not align with the solar cycle

a tree trunk showing many rings and cracks

As trees grow, they add rings to their trunks. Scientists can measure the chemical compositions of these rings to learn about the environment’s past.

Richard Malak/Getty

By Nikk Ogasa

- More than 2 years ago

A cryptic chemical signature of unknown origins, hidden for centuries inside the trunks of Earth’s trees, just became even more mysterious.