India, April 20 -- Ancient baobab trees in south-west Madagascar have yielded a 700-year rainfall record, reconstructed from carbon isotopes in their rings.

Scientists found a very wet period between 1350 and 1450, followed by a severe drought from 1600 to 1750 and a long-term decline in rainfall since 1750.

The data reveal how climate and human land use jointly reshaped ecosystems, informing modern climate resilience.

Madagascar is home to seven species of baobab trees, of which six are found nowhere else on the planet. Many of the trees have been alive for well over 1,000 years. The ancient trees have become symbols of Madagascar itself. They're also gifts to climate science.

Imagine these trees as filing cabinets for climate histor...