774 775 CE solar event tree ring carbon-14 Carrington Event

Tree rings point to an unusually large solar event

Carbon-14 in tree rings points to a solar event in 774–775 CE. The event is estimated to have been at least 10 times the size of the Carrington Event, and its carbon-14 signal was about 20 times the normal variation associated with solar activity.

The Cambrian explosion may look faster than it really was

Part of the Cambrian explosion's apparent speed may come from the way we look at surviving groups. Animal groups that survive for a very long time can appear to have spread into many forms especially quickly near the start of their history, even without an unusual burst in the underlying rate.

Paper made early Chinese books portable

Early Chinese books could be large bundles that had to be moved by cart. Paper made complete books light enough to carry by hand. This helped personal book collections and a strong reading culture grow quickly.

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774 775 CE solar event tree ring carbon-14 Carrington Event

Tree rings point to an unusually large solar event

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