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Traditional Christmas tree. Source: Asad / Adobe Stock

From Mithraic Mysteries to Modern Mirth: Unraveling the Evergreen Christmas Tree Tradition

The Christmas tree is probably one of the most recognizable symbols of Christmas, seen on greeting cards, advertisements, cookies, wrapping paper and in the homes of millions of people around the...
Rakau Momori Moriori tree carvings. Source: Royston Vasey / CC BY-SA 3.0

Endangered Heritage: The Rakau Momori Tree Carvings of the Moriori

Wood carving, or whakairo , has a long and rich history in Maori culture. Traditionally, Maori artisans, utilizing woods like totara, kauri and pohutukawa, crafted intricate designs laden with...
The Sycamore Gap tree near Hadrian’s Wall was cut down by vandals. Screenshot from BBC news release.  Source: BBC News/Youtube Screenshot

England’s Iconic Sycamore Gap Tree Destroyed by Act of Vandalism

In a thoughtless and ugly act of desecration, a person or persons cut down one of England’s most celebrated and historically significant trees. Known as Robin Hood’s Tree, a label it picked up after...
Harvesting tea leaves, China. Source:  Anatta_Tan / Adobe Stock.

Searching for China’s Ancient Tea Leaves (Video)

In the remote Tea Mountains of Southwest China lies the secret to experiencing the oldest way of enjoying tea . With dedication and passion, Shunan Tang, owner of Tea Drunk in New York City, embarks...
Methuselah is the oldest named individual tree on Earth and is located in the White Mountains of California. Source: Yen Chao / CC BY-ND 2.0

The Oldest Living Tree on Earth is Older Than the Egyptian Pyramids

Visitors from around the world flock to visit the famed 4,500-year-old Great Pyramid of Giza , now remembered as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world . But hidden high in California’s White...
Acai berries staining a hand. Source: Imago Photo / Adobe Stock

Acai Berries: Uncovering a Historic Amazonian Nutritional Powerhouse

You’ve probably heard of the acai berry before. This small, purple fruit is incredibly common nowadays in fruit bowls and smoothies, but did you know it actually has a long and fascinating history?...
Tree-hugging has its ancient roots in environmental activism. Source: warnerbroers / Adobe Stock

Tree-Hugging is Rooted in the Tragic Tale of the Khejarli Massacre

Throughout history there’s a multitude of examples of cruelty meted out by royalty , but the story of Abhai Singh of Marwar and the Khejarli massacre in India really stands out. In a David and...
Representational image of Saint Theodora of Vasta. Source: Francis Valadj / Adobe Stock

Saint Theodora of Vasta Spawned a Miraculous Church of Sprouting Trees

When discussing Saint Theodora , most people are referring to the rags-to-riches story of the prostitute-come-empress, and wife of Justinian I , who worked to promote women rights in the 6th century...
Large boab tree with coiled snake carving, northern Tanami Desert. Source: Darrell Lewis / Antiquity Publications Ltd

Tracking Down Ancient Artwork Carved into Australian Boab Trees

Archaeologists and historians from Australian National University, the University of Western Australia and the University of Canberra recently teamed up with a group of First Nations Australian...
Tree huggers are both a current form of environmental activism and one that has been used effectively in the past in places like India.		Source: Carolina Hoyos Lievano / World Bank

Tree Huggers. The Unspoken History of Indian Environmental Martyrs

The term "tree hugger" is a phrase greatly associated with 1970's era Western liberal activists vigilantly trying to protect the environment from humanity's industrial destructive thirst for profit...
Pre-Columbian Explorers Settled the Bahamas Earlier Than Thought

Pre-Columbian Explorers Settled the Bahamas Earlier Than Thought

New evidence suggests that the Bahamas were settled earlier than previously thought. But that’s not all. It appears that the first explorers to arrive on the islands transformed the entire landscape...
Example of a small farm on a river island in the Amazon in Brazil. 10,000 years ago people made forest islands by domesticating plants in the Amazon. Source: Silvio /Adobe Stock

Earliest Amazon Inhabitants Created Thousands of 'Forest Islands'

The earliest human inhabitants of the Amazon created thousands of artificial forest islands as they tamed wild plants to grow food, a new study shows. The discovery of the mounds is the latest...
Some of the oak planks unearthed in the foundations of the portico. These planks are an example of those used for building Rome.      Source: Soprintendenza Speciale Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio di Roma, Italy

Imported Timber is the Newly Discovered Secret to Building Rome

An analysis of some 2000-year-old planks of wood has provided amazing insights into the Roman Empire . Experts have been able to establish that timber found in the heart of Ancient Rome was imported...
Barricades of Hambach Forest protest.

The Battle For 12,000-Year-Old Hambach Forest: Police At-tacked By A Unit Of Masked Petrol Bombing Activists

Thousands of environmental protesters have unified in a plight to save the last 200 hectares of Germany's ancient Hambach Forest from being felled by the coal hungry German energy giant RWE. In the...
Giant Boabab Tree

9 Oldest Trees in Africa, Some Over 2,000-Years-Old, Now Dead

Nine of 13 of Africa’s oldest and largest baobab trees have died in the past decade, it has been reported. These trees, aged between 1,100 and 2,500 years, appear to be victims of climate change...
An ankle bone from 52 million years ago suggests that the earliest primates, the ancestors of humans, were great at leaping from tree to tree. Credit: Douglas Boyer, Duke University

Why Your Ancestors Would Have Aced the Long Jump

This tiny ankle bone belonged to one of the earliest members of the primate family tree. The 52-million-year-old fossil suggests that the first primates were expert leapers. Discovered more than 30...
Bagh-e Fin Garden: Natural Beauty, Sacred Symbolism, and a Gruesome Story

Bagh-e Fin Garden: Natural Beauty, Sacred Symbolism, and a Gruesome Story

An oasis of lush vegetation can be found in an arid region of Iran. The Fin Garden is regarded as one of the most beautiful gardens of its type, and it has been reported that this is the oldest...
Taking Beauty to New Heights in China: What Stunning Sights Emerge on Huangshan and its Bridge of Immortals?

Taking Beauty to New Heights in China: What Stunning Sights Emerge on Huangshan and its Bridge of Immortals?

Huangshan (written in the Han script as 黄山, and literally translated as ‘Yellow Mountain’) is a mountain range located in the southern part of Anhui Province, in the eastern region of China. This...
The Ancient Inhabitants of Easter Island were not the Cause of the Deforestation on the Island

The Ancient Inhabitants of Easter Island were not the Cause of the Deforestation on the Island

A team of Spanish scientists has managed to reconstruct the past 3,000 years of history of Easter Island. Their new findings show that deforestation of the island occurred gradually, and not in all...
Some of the Chaco Canyon ruins are still standing

Puebloans in Treeless Chaco Canyon Hauled 240,000 Trees over 75 KM for House Construction

Analysis of tree-ring patterns shows the prehistoric Pueblo Indians who built the multi-story great houses in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, at one time hauled huge wooden beams a good distance from one...
The 'lost world' of Socotra

The lost world of Socotra, a remote island with plants up to 20 million years old

The remote island of Socotra could be straight out of a science-fiction movie. Its native flora is so unique and foreign to the eye that it has been described as the most alien looking place on earth...