Escrito en los árboles

Since we are children they teach us that to discover the age of a tree we only have to count the rings on its trunk. However, we do not know that trees are also clues to understand the complex interactions between nature and people throughout history. Valerie Trouet takes us from remote African villages to radioactive Russian forests to give us an insider's look at the applications of tree-ring science. Combining science, cultural history, and travel diaries, the author analyzes the natural and man-made hazards that have been etched into growth rings to understand the climate dynamics that have influenced human civilizations over the past two millennia. And it does this through curious stories in which pirates, pharaohs, Martians, samurai and Genghis Khan appear, skillfully intertwined to reveal the clear links between humans and trees. Trouet delights us with her dedication to the study of trees, a discipline that led her to discover austere and beautiful landscapes all over the world, and has allowed scientists to find answers about the mysteries of the Earth and its human inhabitants that could not be known from no other way.