Scientists Have Created the Most Water-Repellent Surface Ever

Scientists at Aalto University in Finland have created the most water-repellent surface ever, opening up new possibilities for improved applications in plumbing, smartphones, cars, boats, and more. The team used a "counterintuitive mechanism" to make water droplets slide off surfaces by creating a "liquid-like" outer layer on solid silicon surfaces. This development has the potential to enhance heat transfer in pipes, anti-fogging, and de-icing, as well as microfluidics and self-cleaning surfaces.

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Meet the Students Who Might’ve Just Cracked a Key Part of Aging—and It Started with a Hallway Chat

A new discovery from Mayo Clinic researchers could open the door to more effective treatments for age-related diseases—and it started with two students chatting at a scientific mixer. The research, published in the journal Aging Cell, introduces a novel way to identify and label senescent cells, often called “zombie cells.” These are cells that have stopped dividing but don’t die off as they should, and instead linger in the body, contributing to conditions like cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and the aging process itself. Targeting these cells could be a powerful strategy for treating a wide range of diseases, but until now, one of the biggest hurdles has been detecting them accurately in living tissue without harming nearby healthy cells. That’s where a pair of graduate students, Keenan Pearson and Sarah Jachim, stepped in—with an idea that even their professors initially called “crazy.” Pearson had been working in a lab studying synthetic DNA structures called aptamers—tiny strands of DNA that can fold into shapes and attach to proteins on a cell’s surface. He was focused on brain cancer and neurodegenerative disease. Jachim, a few floors up, was studying aging and senescent cells. The two crossed paths at a Mayo Clinic scientific event and started swapping ideas about their thesis work. Pearson wondered: Could aptamers be used to detect senescent cells? “I thought the idea was a good one,” Pearson said, “but I didn’t know about the process of preparing senescent cells to test them, and that was Sarah’s expertise.” The two brought their idea to their faculty mentors, including biochemist and molecular biologist Jim Maher, Ph.D., and Darren Baker, Ph.D., an expert on therapies for senescent cells. Instead of shutting it down, the researchers gave the students the green light. “We frankly loved that it was the students’ idea and a real synergy of two research areas,” said Dr. Maher. They got to work, using a pool of over 100 trillion random DNA sequences to search for rare aptamers that could detect surface proteins specific to senescent cells. In tests with mouse cells, they found a handful that could do just that—mark senescent cells by binding to them, without tagging healthy ones. “This approach established the principle that aptamers are a technology that can be used to distinguish senescent cells from healthy ones,” Dr. Maher said. “Though this study is a first step, the results suggest the approach could eventually apply to human cells.” As the early data came in, the research team grew. More students from both labs joined the project, including Brandon Wilbanks, Luis Prieto, and Caroline Doherty. They brought in advanced microscopy tools and tested the technique on multiple tissue types. “It became encouraging to expend more effort,” said Jachim. “Because we could tell it was a project that was going to succeed.” Beyond just labeling the cells, the study also offered insight into what makes senescent cells biologically unique. Unlike many research efforts that start with a known target, the aptamer method allowed the molecules themselves to “choose” what to bind to. That led to a surprising discovery: several aptamers latched onto a variant of a protein called fibronectin on the surface of senescent mouse cells. No one’s quite sure yet what this fibronectin variant means for senescence, but it may offer a new way to understand how zombie cells behave—and why they stick around. “This study was set up to be open-ended about the target surface molecules on senescent cells,” said Dr. Maher. “The beauty of this approach is that we let the aptamers choose the molecules to bind to.” If the method can be adapted for use in humans, aptamers could eventually do more than just tag senescent cells—they might be used to deliver treatments directly to them, helping to eliminate them more precisely than existing methods. That’s especially important because aptamers are cheaper and easier to produce than traditional antibodies, which are often used to detect specific cell types. “This project demonstrated a novel concept,” Dr. Maher said. “Future studies may extend the approach to applications related to senescent cells in human disease.” It’s still early days. But the idea—sparked by a chance conversation between two students—is already showing promise as a way to unlock new treatments for aging and degenerative disease. For Pearson, the experience reinforced the power of unexpected collaboration. “I don’t even think we knew what we were getting into at the start,” he said. “But it turns out, sometimes the hallway conversations are the ones that change everything.”

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She Conquered 100 Fears In 100 Days — Now, She's Empowering Others To Do The Same

When Michelle Poler moved to New York City for grad school in 2014, she didn’t expect fear to become her full-time companion. But the fast pace and uncertainty of city life left her feeling anxious, overwhelmed, and constantly on edge. So she tried something counterintuitive: instead of running from her fears, she ran straight into them. Poler launched a personal project called 100 Days Without Fear, challenging herself to confront one fear every day for 100 days. Some were small — reading negative comments on her blog, going camping. Others were high-stakes: skydiving, holding a tarantula, even giving a TEDx Talk. That TEDx Talk, which had once been one of her biggest fears, ended up transforming her career. “From that day on I decided to dedicate my life to encourage as many people as possible to start living a more fulfilled lifestyle,” Poler wrote on her website, Hello Fears. And she meant it — her journey from fear to freedom has since turned into a global movement. In the 10 years since the project began, Poler’s message has reached more than 70 million people around the world. She’s written a book (Hello Fears), spoken at schools and companies across continents, and built a platform aimed at helping others challenge their comfort zones and rewrite their personal narratives. Poler’s message is simple: we don’t need to be fearless to live fully — we just need to stop letting fear make our choices for us. “I don’t believe in absolute fearlessness,” she said in her 2015 TEDx Talk. “But I do believe that we can negotiate with our fears as a way to pursue our dreams and open ourselves to new experiences that we never even considered.” Over the course of her original challenge, Poler faced 100 fears. And not once, she said, was the actual experience worse than the one she imagined. “I’m telling you, after facing 100 fears, not even one time the actual challenge was worse than what I had in my head before.” Her story continues to resonate, especially in a time when fear and anxiety feel more present than ever. Poler’s message isn’t about ignoring fear or pretending it doesn’t exist — it’s about changing the relationship we have with it. From jumping out of planes to standing on a stage, Michelle Poler found that courage isn’t the absence of fear — it’s action in spite of it.

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Playful Bears Create Makeshift See-Saw in Captivating Video Moment

Two young Andean bears at the Queens Zoo are getting attention this week for turning a tree branch into a makeshift playground—and giving visitors a glimpse of their playful personalities. In a short video filmed by a guest and shared by the zoo, the two bears—Coya, a nearly two-year-old female, and Ransisku, a four-year-old male—are seen bouncing on opposite ends of a fallen limb, creating a kind of natural see-saw. The footage is as entertaining as it is endearing, with both bears clearly enjoying themselves. “While this particular interaction with the branch is unique and fun to watch, it’s very much in line with their natural instinct to explore, climb, and test their surroundings,” said Mike Allen, Director of the Queens Zoo. “They’re learning about their habitat—and each other—every day.” Andean bears, also called spectacled bears for the pale markings that often ring their eyes, are the only bear species native to South America. In the wild, they live in the high-altitude forests and grasslands of the Tropical Andes, spanning Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. Highly arboreal by nature, these bears spend much of their time in trees—for nesting, foraging, resting, and, as it turns out, playing. Adults typically grow to about 1.5 to 1.8 metres in length, with strong limbs and claws well-suited to climbing. The zoo said the playful behaviour captured on video reflects the natural curiosity and adaptability of young bears in particular. For Coya and Ransisku, everything in their environment is still new—and worth experimenting with. The moment may be lighthearted, but for a species that’s classified as vulnerable in the wild, each sign of healthy development in captivity is meaningful. Engaged, socially active animals are more likely to thrive, and enrichment activities like these help simulate the physical and mental challenges they’d encounter in nature. In the meantime, their antics are delighting zoo visitors and social media users alike. One commenter simply wrote, “This made my whole day.” The Queens Zoo is part of the Wildlife Conservation Society, which works to protect endangered species and habitats around the world—including in the Andes, where habitat loss and fragmentation remain serious threats to the spectacled bear. For now, though, Coya and Ransisku seem focused on more immediate concerns—like who gets the next turn on the branch.

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3D Printed, Lab-Grown Cornea Transplant Restores Sight in Breakthrough for Blind Individuals

A man once legally blind can now see again, thanks to the world’s first successful implant of a 3D-printed human cornea made entirely from lab-grown eye cells. The breakthrough surgery, performed in Israel in late October, used a bio-fabricated cornea developed by North Carolina-based startup Precise Bio. It’s a landmark moment in regenerative medicine—and a potentially life-changing shift for the estimated 12.7 million people worldwide who live with corneal blindness. “This achievement marks a turning point for regenerative ophthalmology—a moment of real hope for millions,” said Aryeh Batt, co-founder and CEO of Precise Bio. Unlike traditional corneal transplants, which rely on scarce donor tissue, the PB-001 implant was created using a robotic system that prints living human corneal cells into a structure that mimics the real thing. The company says its tech can potentially produce hundreds of corneas from a single donor sample, a massive leap from today’s reality, where one donated cornea is stretched to help just one patient. In the U.S. alone, demand far outpaces supply. For every available donor cornea, about 70 people are left waiting. PB-001 could change that math entirely. “This is a game changer,” said Dr. Michael Mimouni, the cornea unit director at Rambam Medical Center in Israel, who performed the implant. “We’ve witnessed a cornea created in the lab, from living human cells, bring sight back to a human being. It was an unforgettable moment—a glimpse into a future where no one will have to live in darkness because of a shortage of donor tissue.” The implant was tested in one eye of a patient who had been legally blind, and the results were immediate. While full trial data is still in early stages, the initial success suggests the bio-printed tissue integrated effectively with the patient’s eye, restoring vision. Precise Bio’s PB-001 cornea is designed to closely mimic the real thing. It’s optically clear, biomechanically similar to human corneas, and shipped cryopreserved and preloaded in standard surgical delivery tools. Once implanted, the sheet of lab-grown tissue unrolls and settles into the natural shape of the cornea. The transplant targets damage in the outermost layer of the eye—the part that covers the iris and pupil—often clouded by disease, trauma, or infection. In many cases, existing options are limited to full transplants, which are invasive, dependent on donor supply, and not always a perfect match. PB-001 aims to offer a ready-made, consistent, and scalable alternative. The company is currently running a phase 1 clinical trial in Israel, with plans to enroll 10 to 15 patients experiencing corneal fluid buildup caused by cell layer dysfunction. Results from the trial, including six-month efficacy outcomes, are expected in the second half of 2026. The innovation could also streamline the surgical process. Because the PB-001 implant is compatible with existing tools and workflows, it may not require retraining surgeons or redesigning entire operating procedures—a key factor in scaling up any new transplant method. “This could lead the way towards reshaping transplant medicine as we know it,” said Dr. Anthony Atala, co-founder of Precise Bio and director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine. While it's still early days, PB-001’s first successful use in a human patient is a major step forward in regenerative eye care. If future trials continue to show strong results, it could one day eliminate the global backlog of patients waiting for corneal transplants—not just by meeting demand, but by producing tissue on demand.

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This Man Carries Shelter Dogs in a Backpack Around His City to Boost Adoptions

It started with a Corgi in a backpack. Bryan Reisberg wasn’t looking to go viral. He was just commuting on the New York City subway with his dog, Maxine, tucked neatly into a backpack. But Maxine had a way of making people smile. In a crowded car full of blank stares and slumped shoulders, she became a bright spot. People lit up when they saw her. And soon, the internet did too. “She was known as ‘the dog in the backpack’ all over the world,” Reisberg told The Washington Post. “It was crazy and totally unexpected.” That one moment — Maxine’s fuzzy face poking out of a backpack — turned into something much bigger. Reisberg leaned into the viral fame, quit his job, and launched a dog backpack company called Little Chonk. But a friend nudged him to take things further: could this backpack, and Maxine’s magic, help shelter dogs get adopted? The answer turned out to be a very enthusiastic yes. Reisberg partnered with Best Friends Animal Society and came up with a simple idea: put shelter dogs in the backpack, take them around the city, and give them the same spotlight Maxine got. Each week, he picks up a new dog and straps them in with an “Adopt Me” tag. The rest is pure social media alchemy. He films videos of the pups riding the subway, strolling through New York, meeting strangers, licking faces, and just generally being adorable. His editing background gives the content a professional sheen, but the dogs do most of the heavy lifting — by simply being themselves. So far, he’s featured 11 dogs. Ten have already been adopted. The only one still waiting has an ongoing medical condition. But the impact goes far beyond those individual dogs. According to Best Friends CEO Julie Castle, the shelter has seen about 100 more dog adoptions this year than the same period last year — and she credits the backpack project as a major reason why. “It’s such a morale boost for our team,” Castle said. “When Bryan comes in and uses his channels to influence adoption, he’s a hero to these dogs and to our staff.” One recent star was Bertha, a six-year-old dog with a big heart and a bigger body — 65 pounds of fluff packed into Reisberg’s backpack. She rode trains, wandered through Queens, and quickly won over hearts online. Instagram comments poured in. “What a beauty!” one person wrote. “Bertha, your happily ever after is coming.” And it did. “MISS BERTHA WAS JUST ADOPTED BY A LOVELY FAMILY ON LONG ISLAND WITH A NICE BIG HOUSE!!!” Reisberg later posted. The success isn’t just about reach — though Reisberg’s videos have pulled in more than 75 million views. It’s about the way they shift perception. Shelter dogs aren’t hidden behind cages or sad ads. They’re out in the world, showing their personalities, winning people over. “Perfect way to get the word out about the beautiful souls that are all alone and need love,” wrote one Instagram user. And that’s exactly what Reisberg hopes to keep doing: giving overlooked dogs a ride — and a shot — at finding a home. “My heart gets so warm,” wrote one fan. “Your best friend is waiting for you and you don’t even realize it.”

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A Tailor’s Dream: Academy Brings Heritage Sewing Skills Back to Life

When Lisa Coolen walked into the Westgate Ballroom in Bradford, she wasn’t just signing up for a sewing course — she was stepping back into her childhood. “I wore only what my grandmother made until I was twelve,” she said. “I’d never bought anything from a shop. She made dresses, skirts, blouses, everything. I still have most of them.” Despite that legacy, Lisa had never sewn anything herself. But when she heard that local tailor Imran Khan was launching a community tailoring school, she jumped at the chance. “It’s something I wanted to learn from a young age, but I never got the opportunity,” she said. “These are heritage skills that are dying out. And I wanted to do something [my grandmother] would be proud of.” The space where Lisa and others gathered is set to become the home of the IK School of Fine Tailoring, officially launching in January. For now, Imran is running informal sessions to meet prospective students and shape the programme around their needs. “This has always been my dream,” he said. “I wanted to create something for young people, older people, anyone who wants to learn a skill and do something meaningful with their time.” There’s no rigid syllabus. Evening classes, weekend workshops — the academy will run when people can show up. “It’s a community project, and the community will shape it,” said Imran. Downstairs in his busy tailoring shop, Imran demonstrates the industrial sewing machines the academy will use. Upstairs, students will dive straight into hands-on learning. “We want people learning by doing,” he said. Interest in the academy spans generations and motivations. Zaidan Khan, 21, was first drawn to sewing after watching a YouTube tutorial on making a shalwar kameez. He gave it a go — and succeeded. “That’s what got me interested,” he said. For him, the academy is a chance to build on that curiosity, whether for creative exploration or a potential career. Others see the school as a rare opportunity in the city. “There isn’t much like this in Bradford,” said Noor Haider, a longtime sewing enthusiast. “So when it came up, I thought I should go for it. I’m looking forward to getting creative and learning a new skill.” For Paul Lambsdown, recently retired from cybersecurity, the appeal is practical. “You should never stop learning,” he said. “I am quite short and I want to be able to alter my own clothes. It’s a basic skill we’ve forgotten.” Leading the teaching will be experienced professionals like Zana Kacanovic, a designer and pattern cutter who trained in Lithuania and earned her fashion degree in London. “We are losing sewing skills,” she said. “It’s creative, practical, and satisfying — starting with nothing and ending with something you’ve made yourself.” The launch of the Bradford academy comes at a time when traditional tailoring is increasingly under threat. The Heritage Crafts Association has listed bespoke tailoring as an endangered craft due to a shrinking workforce and limited training pathways. Yet shows like the Great British Sewing Bee have reignited public interest, sparking a quiet revival of handmade clothing and heritage crafts. Inside the academy’s soon-to-be classroom — once an unused ballroom — Imran has created a striking new space. The room, styled in traditional English design with a regal atmosphere, reflects the care and vision he’s poured into the project. “It’s been a labour of love,” he said — from restoring the building to sourcing and repairing the sewing machines. For some involved, tailoring is about much more than clothing. Safora Uddin, who helped develop the academy, works in drug and alcohol treatment and sees sewing as a form of therapy. “When people come out of trauma, they want to learn something new,” she said. “It gives them purpose and confidence. This isn’t just about sewing. It’s about belonging.” That sense of connection is exactly what brought Lisa in. “I think I’ll try to make one of those panel dresses my grandmother used to sew,” she said quietly. “Just to remind me of her.”

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Innovative Material Promises Super Efficient Windows

Physicists at the University of Colorado Boulder have developed a clear, flexible material that could dramatically improve how buildings manage heat—without blocking the view. The material, called MOCHI (short for Mesoporous Optically Clear Heat Insulator), looks a bit like high-tech Bubble Wrap. But instead of cushioning packages, MOCHI is designed to block heat while letting visible light pass through—solving a decades-old challenge in building design. “Finding insulators that are transparent is really challenging,” said Ivan Smalyukh, senior author of the study and a professor of physics at CU Boulder. “To block heat exchange, you can put a lot of insulation in your walls, but windows need to be transparent.” The research, published December 11 in Science, points to MOCHI as a promising step toward more energy-efficient buildings. Despite only being in laboratory development for now, the material’s performance is already attracting attention. The Problem with Windows Buildings account for nearly 40% of global energy use, and a significant portion of that is lost through windows. Whether it's heat leaking out in winter or pouring in during summer, standard glass does a poor job of insulation. MOCHI tackles this issue head-on. It can be applied to the inside surface of existing windows in the form of thin, flexible sheets or thicker blocks. And unlike many existing window insulators, MOCHI is nearly invisible, blocking less than 0.2% of visible light. That makes it ideal for homes, offices, and any building where maintaining natural light and outside views is important. How It Works MOCHI is a silicone-based gel filled with an intricate network of air-filled pores. These microscopic channels are far thinner than a human hair, and that’s what gives the material its powerful insulating properties. The structure is similar to aerogels, which are used by NASA and others for insulation. But while aerogels often scatter light and look cloudy, MOCHI’s pores are arranged more precisely, allowing light to pass through clearly. “The molecules don’t have a chance to collide freely with each other and exchange energy,” Smalyukh explained. “Instead, they bump into the walls of the pores.” This effectively halts the chain reaction that normally carries heat through a gas—turning MOCHI into an ultra-thin thermal barrier. Even a 5-millimetre sheet is enough to withstand direct flame, according to the researchers. A Material with Wide Applications The team envisions MOCHI being used far beyond residential windows. One possible application is in solar thermal energy systems, where sunlight can be captured and stored as heat to warm buildings or water. “Even when it’s a somewhat cloudy day, you could still harness a lot of energy and then use it to heat your water and your building interior,” said Smalyukh, who is also a fellow at CU Boulder’s Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute (RASEI). Next Steps: From Lab to Market At present, MOCHI is only made in the lab, and manufacturing it is still time-consuming. But the raw materials are relatively inexpensive, which means scaling up could be possible with further development. Smalyukh is optimistic: “The components are cheap, so it’s more a question of developing scalable production techniques than overcoming cost.” If that hurdle is cleared, MOCHI could eventually become a go-to material for retrofitting old buildings, designing energy-efficient new ones, or even creating portable thermal shields. A Clear Future The research team behind MOCHI includes postdoctoral associates Amit Bhardwaj, Blaise Fleury, Eldo Abraham, and Taewoo Lee, as well as former CU Boulder researchers Bohdan Senyuk, Jan Bart ten Hove, and Vladyslav Cherpak. While the material isn’t available to consumers just yet, the early results are clear: MOCHI could be a game-changer for energy-efficient architecture. A simple window coating, nearly invisible to the eye, may soon help cut energy use, reduce heating bills, and make buildings more comfortable—without compromising the view.

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How VR Headsets are Revolutionizing Live Sports Experiences for Visually Impaired Fans

Blind and partially sighted cricket fans just got a major upgrade. At Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham, a small group of fans trialled a revolutionary new headset that streams live match footage directly to the working part of their retinas. The technology, developed by UK-based startup GiveVision, mimics the look of a VR headset but functions as an assistive device. For nine visually impaired cricket lovers, it turned a live match into something they could actually see. The trial marked a world-first for sports spectatorship. “Helping visually impaired cricket fans to feel more included and experience the atmosphere of a stadium fixture live for the first time was truly moving,” said Thomas Cunningham Smith, Edgbaston’s safeguarding and compliance manager. GiveVision’s device captures high-quality video of the action on the field and transmits it in real time to the part of the user’s eye that can still process visual information. For many people with low vision, parts of the retina still function even if central vision is lost. The headset enhances those areas, offering a clearer, sharper view of the match — one that glasses or contact lenses alone can’t provide. While the headset isn’t a cure for blindness, it’s part of a growing wave of innovations reshaping how people with visual impairments experience the world. In a separate development announced in October, researchers revealed they had restored the ability to read for dozens of people using an experimental eye implant. The trial involved inserting a microchip under the retina of 38 patients with severe age-related macular degeneration, a condition that often robs older adults of their central vision. The chip was paired with a special set of glasses that recorded video and translated it into electronic signals for the brain. It sounds like something from a sci-fi movie, but for 84 percent of participants, it worked. They were able to read again — a breakthrough that gives new hope to millions of people around the world who suffer from forms of untreatable vision loss. Back in the sporting world, accessibility efforts are also picking up speed. At Lord’s Cricket Ground in London — widely known as the home of cricket — fans with visual impairments can now use a personal indoor navigation system to move around the venue. The system was created by Waymap, a startup focused on indoor guidance for blind and partially sighted users. Using audio and visual instructions delivered through a smartphone app, Waymap helps fans navigate their way from entrances to seats, concessions, washrooms, and exits. Lord’s is the first stadium in the world to fully implement the technology. According to Waymap, more sports venues are in the pipeline, with Wembley Stadium already on the list. Together, these innovations are transforming the fan experience for people who have historically been excluded from enjoying live events. For cricket fans like the nine who tested the GiveVision headset at Edgbaston, it’s not just about watching the game — it’s about feeling part of the crowd. Hearing the roar after a six. Catching the bowler’s wind-up. Seeing, even faintly, the play unfold. For the first time, it's within reach.

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This Deaf 85-Year-Old Just Became a Record-Breaking Runner, 3 Months After Taking Up the Sport

Barbara Groves had never run a day in her life. Now, just three months after taking up the sport at age 85, she holds the fastest times in her age group at five different parkrun events — and she’s not slowing down. Groves, who is deaf, completed the 5-kilometre (3.1-mile) Sheffield Castle parkrun at Manor Fields Park in just 47 minutes, setting an age-group record and surprising even herself with how much she’s come to enjoy the weekly tradition. “I used to have bad knees and that’s all gone,” she said. “I’ve got a frozen shoulder, used to be very painful, that’s all gone. So it does work — and my balance is a lot better.” Despite the accolades, Groves says the personal benefits are what keep her coming back. “It’s the stimulation, you feel much, much better afterwards,” she said. “Pushing yourself just that little bit more each time.” It all started when she went to watch her son, Gavin Hogg, run a parkrun in September. She’d never considered running herself, but something about the atmosphere clicked. She decided to give it a try the following week — and got hooked. Parkrun is a global community movement where people of all ages and abilities gather outdoors on Saturday mornings to walk, jog, or run a 5km course. There’s no pressure, no competition, and it’s free — a welcoming environment that Groves says made all the difference. “When you go out on your own, it’s difficult because you can’t hear anybody behind or anything,” she said. “There is no pressure, you can walk.” Now, she’s a regular. And her son couldn’t be prouder. “At the age of 85, to not have any background in running at all, and to suddenly decide — at an age when most people think, I’ll just sit down and have an easy life — to challenge herself and push herself, I just think it’s incredible,” Hogg said. So does Ash Mellors, the Run Director at Castle parkrun. “To see her turn up, week after week, and just smash the course, with a big smile on her face — it’s just incredible,” he said. “She’s become part of the community here as well.” Groves may not care much for records, but her presence each Saturday has become something of a quiet phenomenon. She’s showing that it’s never too late to start — and that a little movement can go a long way. “I’m not bothered about the records,” she said. “I just enjoy how it makes me feel.”

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How Christmas Trees Helped Shape American History — and Still Do

Every December, millions of people across the U.S. gather around Christmas trees, stringing lights and hanging ornaments. But as author and environmental economist Trent Preszler reveals in his new book Evergreen: The Trees That Shaped America, the role of conifers in U.S. history goes far beyond seasonal décor. From helping the Allies build warplanes in World War I to sparking one of the earliest acts of colonial rebellion, conifers have been quietly shaping the country’s political, economic, and environmental identity for centuries. Preszler traces this journey back to 367 million years ago with Archaeopteris — the prehistoric ancestor of modern trees. “It almost looked like a top-heavy Christmas tree,” he says. Its structure allowed it to thrive in harsh climates, and its fossilized remains eventually became the coal that powers large parts of the U.S. economy today. That evolutionary resilience lives on in the evergreen conifers we know today. And while they might now line living rooms in December, they’ve been far more than just festive decorations. The Pine Tree Riot and America’s Colonial Roots Before the Boston Tea Party, there was the Pine Tree Riot. In the 18th century, the British Empire desperately needed tall, straight white pines for its Royal Navy ship masts — and the forests of the American colonies offered exactly that. Colonists were sent to harvest timber for the Crown, not just to seek religious freedom. But when royal surveyors tried to enforce control over these trees, it didn’t go over well. In Weare, New Hampshire, colonists captured and beat a British forest official in a tavern. That act of rebellion — later known as the Pine Tree Riot — helped inspire the Boston Tea Party a year later. As Preszler notes, “The common mythology is that the Pilgrims were religious separatists, but they were really lumber merchants sent here to find timber for the Crown.” The “Airplane Spruce” That Helped Win a War During World War I, the Allies needed durable, lightweight wood for building the fuselages of fighter planes. The solution was Sitka spruce, a stringy, pliable tree that grows along the coasts of Oregon and Washington. The U.S. government mobilized hundreds of thousands of military personnel to log this specific species — dubbed “airplane spruce” — in what Preszler calls a little-known but pivotal moment in wartime history. “It turned the tide of the war, really,” he says. Spruce trees also played a role in labor history. In the early 20th century, lumber workers — especially spruce loggers — helped secure major labor rights, including the eight-hour workday and overtime pay. A More Personal Origin Story For Preszler, the idea for the book started with a Christmas tree shopping trip on Long Island. Rows of fluorescent, spray-painted trees were flying off the lot. “What, is the basic evergreen not enough for us?” he wondered. That question sparked a two-year journey through 20 U.S. states — visiting lumber mills, forests, Indigenous reservations, and historical archives — to uncover the forgotten legacy of America’s conifers. “I could probably come to an understanding of the biography of America as seen through a singular lens of Christmas trees,” he said. The Unsung Benefits of Real Trees Artificial Christmas trees might seem eco-friendly at first glance, but Preszler argues the opposite. Real trees, he says, support local farmers, prevent land from being paved over, and serve as biodiversity havens. “They often occupy sites that are marginal, quite rocky soil that’s not good for growing other crops that may otherwise be turned into strip malls,” he said. “They’re natural, they’re completely biodegradable, and they return to the earth.” Christmas tree farms also support birds, grasses, and wildflowers. And unlike synthetic trees, real ones don’t sit in landfills for centuries. From Holiday Cheer to Suburban Construction Preszler’s favorite conifer is the Douglas-fir. Though technically not a true fir, this tree is prized both for its aesthetic and economic value. “It grows these ramrod-straight trunks with very hard timber,” he said. “That’s also what led to its demise.” During the post–World War II housing boom, Douglas-fir became the backbone of suburban development — especially on Long Island. As a young tree, it’s bushy and full — a classic Christmas tree shape. Left to grow for a century, it becomes an 80-foot-tall column of timber. “It straddles this line,” said Preszler. “It’s a deeply commercial and economically vital material product for America’s economy, and it also captivates us and holds our imagination around Christmastime.” A Party Fact Worth Sharing Looking for a holiday party icebreaker? Here’s one from Preszler: The reason conifer wood is so good for building isn’t just about its density — it’s about its microscopic structure. “Evergreen conifers’ wood looks like LEGO bricks,” he said. “Tiny rectangles lined up right next to each other in a perfect latticework. Their toughness as lumber is actually based right there at the cellular level.” A Tree with Deep Roots Evergreens have long stood as symbols of endurance, vitality, and hope. As Preszler’s book shows, they’ve also quietly supported some of the most pivotal moments in U.S. history — from revolution to war, labor rights to suburban expansion. And for all the ways they’ve served the country, their biggest legacy may be right in front of us every December: a simple tree, standing tall, decked in lights, reminding us of what lasts.

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