News Paleontology

A rare 3-D tree fossil may be the earliest glimpse at a forest understory

The 350-million-year old Seussian-looking tree had a mop-top crown wider than it was tall

A computer rendering of a tree with a thin, beige trunk and layers of long, palm-like leaves extending from the top in a circle.

After toppling to the bottom of an ancient lake, a Sanfordiacaulis densifolia tree was preserved in exquisite 3-D, allowing researchers to create this digital rendering of its spiraling crown.

Tim Stonesifer

By Helen Bradshaw

With its fluffed, spiraling top and thin trunk, the Sanfordiacaulis densifolia tree looks like it came straight out of Dr.