Pollen isn’t just the stuff that gets up your nose during the hayfever season. Pollen, an integral part of plant reproduction, also serves as a time capsule of past environments; by analysing these microscopic marvels, researchers can determine what plants were present in a landscape thousands to millions of years ago.
In this episode, Matthew Adeleye (@matt_adeleye) from the Australian National University helps us understand the journey of pollen grains – from a plant to being trapped in the mud at the bottom of lakes to the microscope slides examined by palynologists (people who study pollen). By counting and measuring these grains, palynologists like Matthew can discover invaluable information about past landscapes and vegetation.
For more information, go to: http://bit.ly/pollensi
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