"Unprecedented Discovery: 350 Million-Year-Old Dr. Seuss-Like Tree Fossils Leave Scientists Gobsmacked"

TL;DR Summary
Exceptionally preserved 350 million-year-old tree fossils discovered in Canada reveal bizarre bushy trees unlike anything seen before, with a dense canopy of more than 250 leaves crowded around the top of a spindly, unbranched trunk. Named Sanfordiacaulis, these trees likely evolved their spiral layout to maximize sunlight for photosynthesis and may represent an evolutionary experiment from the Carboniferous period that eventually failed. The discovery challenges our understanding of ancient tree architecture and sheds light on the diverse experimentation in the plant kingdom during deep time.
- 'We were gobsmacked': 350 million-year-old tree fossils are unlike any scientists have ever seen Livescience.com
- Rare ancient tree discovery has scientists ‘gobsmacked’ CNN
- Rare Fossilized Dr. Seuss-Like Trees Reveal Oddball Natural Experiment The Wall Street Journal
- Weird ancient tree from before dinosaurs found in Canadian quarry CBC.ca
- A Fossilized Tree That Dr. Seuss Might Have Dreamed Up The New York Times
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