Catastrophic solar storms may not explain shadows of radiation in trees
Upticks in radiocarbon in ancient tree rings do not align with the solar cycle
![a tree trunk showing many rings and cracks](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/110222_no_miyake-events_feat.jpg?fit=1030%2C580&ssl=1)
As trees grow, they add rings to their trunks. Scientists can measure the chemical compositions of these rings to learn about the environment’s past.
Richard Malak/Getty