★ The authenticity of a painting, the provenance of a violin, the age of an unidentified skeleton — the trees know the answer. Plants never lie, which is why they have become history's most honest witnesses.
★ A major work by young scientist and Candidate of Biological Sciences Denis Novikov, longlisted for Russia's "Enlightener Prize" 2026, revealing from a scientific-detective perspective how plants become the most objective witnesses of human history.
★ The book is built around two remarkable sciences — dendrochronology and palynology — showing how plants help solve crimes, expose art forgeries, and accurately date major discoveries.
★ Author Denis Novikov is an Associate Professor at Volgograd State Medical University and a senior science journalist contracted by Russia's "Sirius" Scientific University, skilled at translating dry archaeological data into gripping narrative nonfiction in a language full of literary tension.
★ A journey through time in which nature's silent archives come to life, telling the most objective and impartial chronicle of our world.

What if history had its own silent witnesses? They left behind no chronicles or memoirs, yet their testimony is far more accurate than words. These witnesses are plants. It turns out that for centuries they have preserved a precious archive of human history — you only need the ability to read them. Biologist and science journalist Denis Novikov takes us through two remarkable sciences: dendrochronology and palynology, which have become indispensable tools for historians and archaeologists.
How did the cold summer of 1816 give birth to Frankenstein? What is the secret behind the distinctive sound of a Stradivarius violin? What is the connection between a Peruvian volcano and a period of turmoil? Who exactly was the mysterious figure from the Yamal Peninsula, Sihirtia? The answers to these and many other questions lie hidden in tree rings and ancient pollen. These are gripping detective stories in which plants play the role of key witnesses. They help solve crimes, expose art forgeries, accurately date major discoveries, and reveal how past climate disasters shaped the fate of entire civilizations.
Tree Rings and Pollen is a journey through time in which nature's silent archives come to life, telling the most objective and impartial chronicle of our world.

【Author】Denis Novikov
Russian young scientist, Candidate of Biological Sciences (equivalent to a PhD), Associate Professor in the Department of General Hygiene and Ecology at Volgograd State Medical University, and a senior science journalist contracted by Russia's "Sirius" Scientific University. He has long served as a column editor and core review expert for the well-known popular-science biology platform Biomolecules. Denis not only conducts frontline research in ecological biology but is also skilled at translating dry archaeological data into gripping narrative nonfiction in an highly accessible, literary, "scientific-detective" style.