Reference Collections and Databases
The Hidden Glass in Your Garden: Tracking Ancient Farmers
Plants leave behind tiny glass structures called phytoliths that survive for thousands of years. Learn how these microscopic fossils are helping archaeologists track the very first farmers and their ancient meals.
Tiny Time Machines: How Microscopic Silica Tells the Earth's Story
Learn how microscopic plant silica, known as phytoliths, acts as a durable record for tracking climate change and ancient human migration.
The Tiny Glass Stones That Tell Us How We Farmed
Ancient plants left behind microscopic glass 'fingerprints' called phytoliths. Discover how these tiny structures help scientists rebuild the history of farming and climate change.
The Glass Ghosts in the Cornfield: How Tiny Plant Crystals Rewrote History
Plants leave behind tiny glass shapes that last forever. These 'phytoliths' help us track the birth of farming and understand how ancient people lived.
Ghosts of the Jungle: How Micro-Plants Map Our Changing Planet
Scientists are using microscopic glass 'fingerprints' from ancient plants to track climate change and forest shifts over thousands of years.
Tracking Ancient Weather Patterns with Buried Microscopic Plant Shards
Phytoliths are microscopic glass structures that act as environmental recorders. By studying these tiny shards, scientists can reconstruct ancient landscapes and track how climates have changed over thousands of years.
Tiny Glass Gems in the Dirt Reveal the Secret Meals of Our Ancestors
Archaeologists are using microscopic glass structures called phytoliths to figure out what people ate thousands of years ago. These tiny fossils survive long after seeds and husks have rotted away, providing a clear window into ancient diets.
The Hidden Glass in the Grass
Scientists are using microscopic glass structures called phytoliths to identify plants from thousands of years ago, revealing ancient diets and lost environments.
The Tiny Glass Stones Telling Big Secrets About Ancient Meals
Plants might rot, but they leave behind tiny glass fingerprints called phytoliths. Discover how archaeologists are using microscopic silica to reveal the true diet of our ancestors.
The Tiny Glass Skeletons Helping Us Save the World's Food
Ancient plants left behind tiny glass structures that don't rot. Now, scientists are using these 'phytoliths' to understand how ancient farmers survived climate change—and what it means for our future food supply.
The Glass Ghosts of Ancient Forests
Discover how tiny glass structures called phytoliths, preserved in soil for thousands of years, are helping scientists reconstruct ancient forests and lost climates.
How Scientists Use Plant Scars to Rebuild Lost Worlds
Scientists are rebuilding lost ecosystems by studying 'plant ghosts'—microscopic silica structures that survive in the dirt for ages. These glass-like remains reveal how forests and grasslands shifted as the climate changed.
The Glass Skeletons in Your Garden
Learn how ancient plants left behind tiny glass 'skeletons' that help us map history, ancient diets, and climate change without needing a time machine.
The Microscopic Weather Report in the Dirt
How can a spoonful of dirt tell us the weather from five thousand years ago? Learn how researchers use microscopic plant glass to rebuild ancient worlds and track climate change through time.
The Glass Clues Hidden on Ancient Teeth
Did you know plants leave behind tiny glass skeletons? These microscopic fossils, called phytoliths, are helping researchers figure out exactly what ancient people ate and how the world's climate has changed over thousands of years.
Reading the Ground: Using Microscopic Fossils to Map Old Climates
Learn how researchers use microscopic plant glass to rebuild old environments and understand how the earth's climate has shifted over millennia.
The Glass Skeletons in the Mud: Finding Ancient Diets in Tiny Stones
Discover how microscopic glass structures inside plants are helping archaeologists solve ancient mysteries about what people ate thousands of years ago.
The Invisible Glass Skeletons That Tell Us What Ancient People Ate
Forget old bones. The real story of what our ancestors ate is hidden in tiny pieces of plant glass called phytoliths.
The Glass Skeletons in Your Garden Soil
Plants leave behind microscopic glass skeletons called phytoliths that stay in the soil for thousands of years. Learn how scientists use these tiny stones to figure out what ancient people ate and how the world looked before history was even written.
Tracking Ancient Climate Fluctuations via Silica Microfossils in the Mediterranean Basin
Archaeobotanists are using microscopic silica structures called phytoliths to reconstruct the climate of the ancient Mediterranean, providing new evidence on how a major drought 4,200 years ago impacted Bronze Age civilizations.