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