Sometimes I read an occasional article saying that science has solved all the big questions, and then I read an article like this one: Invasive Plants in Galapagos May Really Be Native.

Science isn’t really that easy. The Galapagos have been studied in detail since Charles Darwin did his studies on finches there in the 1830s (on one of the first global scientific studies). The islands aren’t that big. And it’s only now that scientists are doing the pollen studies on what plants have been there over history. And those pollen studies are showing that they need to do more research.

What does this have to do with climate change? Well, one key part of studying the current changes in our climate is studying past climates. One way to do that is to look at what plants were found where in the past. For example, tropical trees like palms generally indicate a warmer local climate. So scientists need an accurate picture of what plants lived in what parts of the globe THEN and NOW so they can study climate change.