26-05-2025
What ancient pollen reveals about Earth's history
Pollen grains are far more than allergens — they are also nature's time capsules, preserving clues about Earth's past environments for millions of years.
Pollen's tough outer shell enables it to survive long after its parent plants have disappeared. When pollen grains become trapped in sediments at the bottom of lakes, oceans and riverbeds, fossil pollen can provide scientists with a unique history of the environments where those pollen-producing plants were born. They can tell us about the vegetation, climate and even human activity through time.
