Ancient Ferns Ignited Europe's Wildfire Past | Science News

Ancient Europe turned into a wildfire inferno 250 million years ago, when ferns—thriving on a warming, deforested planet—became the perfect fuel for catastrophic fires. Scientists uncovered this by analyzing 600-meter drill cores, finding charcoal and smoke compounds that spiked during a major extinction event. A breakthrough method using the unusual darkening of fossilized pollen revealed repeated, severe fires tied to fern dominance. These fast-growing “disaster species” fueled a vicious cycle of fire, destruction, and regrowth, painting a terrifying picture of how climate change and ecology can collide to create ecological Armageddon. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/c5d11ee8612ca0b1