Ancient forests that power the modern world
Ancient mossy forests from millions of years ago created the planet's finite amount of fossil fuels. (Photo by Pascal Meier on Unsplash/)The following is an excerpt adapted from The Story of More by Hope Jahren.Once upon a time, there was a broad and fathomless ocean. Beneath the waves swirled the currents that flushed saltwater in magnificent gushes. Deep in the dense, cold darkness, the seafloor waited with perfect patience to embrace the corpse of every living thing aboveThis was called the Panthalassa Sea, and I am certain that the creatures swimming in it believed their watery world to be the entire Universe, extending forever in every direction. The creatures of the Panthalassa were different from the ones we recognize in our oceans: jawless fish writhed in great schools, their wormy bodies streaming behind them as they searched for places to attach. Innumerable cartilage forms swam, forever in motion, their gill...