Archaeology and Human-Plant Interactions
The Glass Skeletons in the Dirt: How Phytoliths Tell Our Ancestors' Dinner Stories
Discover how microscopic glass structures called phytoliths are helping researchers reconstruct ancient diets and the history of farming with incredible precision.
The Invisible Glass Ghosts in Your Backyard
Plants leave behind tiny glass skeletons called phytoliths that survive for thousands of years. These microscopic clues are helping scientists uncover the secret history of ancient farms and lost forests.
Finding the Clues: Our Weekly Look at the Hidden World
This week, we explore how our partners are uncovering history through ancient bread recipes, hidden desert rivers, and microscopic animal fur. See how these stories connect to our world of plant analysis.
Ancient Menus: Reading the Microscopic Records Left on Prehistoric Teeth
Archaeologists are using plant glass trapped in ancient tooth tartar and soil to map out exactly what prehistoric humans ate and how they lived.
The Glass Skeletons in Your Garden: How Tiny Plant Crystals Reveal the Past
Discover how microscopic silica structures called phytoliths are helping scientists reconstruct ancient environments and track the origins of farming through the study of plant glass.
The Glass Shadows of Ancient Meals
Discover how microscopic glass crystals called phytoliths are helping scientists reconstruct ancient meals and farming practices from thousands of years ago.
Solving Cold Cases with Plant Crystals
Learn how archaeological detectives use microscopic plant crystals to solve ancient mysteries, from identifying the first farmers to rebuilding lost landscapes.
Finding the Little Things that Tell Big Stories
A weekly look at how researchers find clues in the weirdest places, from ancient sound trapped in rocks to invisible ink on old paper.
The Invisible Glass Fossils That Reveal What Our Ancestors Ate
Discover how tiny glass structures called phytoliths are helping archaeologists piece together the diets and farming habits of ancient civilizations when traditional evidence has rotted away.
Dirt and Diamonds: How Scientists Use Microscopic Silica to Find Lost Forests
Scientists are using tiny silica 'plant stones' to reconstruct lost ecosystems and track how humans have changed the planet over thousands of years.
The Invisible Glass Shards That Map Ancient Farms
Discover how microscopic 'plant stones' called phytoliths are helping archeologists reveal ancient diets and the birth of farming through the magic of silica and specialized microscopy.
Tracking the First Farmers Through Microscopic Clues
Archaeologists are using microscopic glass structures in soil to trace the history of farming. These tiny shapes show exactly when wild grasses were turned into crops by ancient humans.
The Glass Ghosts of Ancient Gardens
Plants might rot, but they leave behind tiny glass skeletons called phytoliths. Discover how these microscopic shapes are rewriting the history of ancient farming and climate change.
Tiny Glass Shards That Map Ancient Farms
Ancient glass 'fingerprints' hidden in the dirt are revealing the secret history of the world's first farmers.
Reading the Grass: How Microscopic Dust Predicts Climate Future
Learn how microscopic plant fossils called phytoliths act as ancient weather reports, helping scientists understand historical climate change and predict the future.
How Old Dirt Remembers the Rain
How microscopic plant fossils reveal the secret history of our planet's changing landscapes through the study of silica structures.
Dirt Detectives: Using Plant Glass to Solve History’s Mysteries
Discover how 'plant stones' or phytoliths act as microscopic evidence for archaeologists to solve ancient mysteries and track climate change through history.
Reconstructing Holocene Paleoclimates via Microscopic Silica Residues
Researchers are using microscopic silica structures from ancient plants to map climate fluctuations throughout the Holocene, providing a durable record of temperature and moisture in arid environments.
Phytolith Analysis and the Recalibration of Neolithic Agricultural Timelines
Archaeobotanists are utilizing phytolith analysis to challenge existing timelines of agricultural development, revealing that crop domestication was a much slower process than previously thought.
Phytolith Morphometrics Provide New Evidence for Early Rice Domestication in the Yangtze River Valley
Archaeobotanists are using microscopic silica structures known as phytoliths to map the complex history of rice domestication in China, providing new insights into early Holocene agriculture.