Volcanic eruptions and cold summers leave lasting marks in the wood of northern trees, unlocking the secrets of past climate extremes.

Taken from a tree in Norway, this stained tree sample shows a blue ring from 1902. (Credit: Pawel Matulewski and Liliana Siekacz) Human skin isn't the only thing that can change color after facing the ...

Overall, only 2.1% of the pine trees' rings and 1.3% of the juniper shrubs' rings were blue; the cells which hadn't lignified properly were mainly found at the end of growth rings, in latewood ...