Scientists uncover a 60,000-year-old forest underwater and think its preserved trees may help pioneer new medicines

Nearly 60,000 years ago, as prehistoric humans just started venturing out of Africa, a forest of cypress trees grew on the banks of a river near the Gulf of Mexico. As the trees grew old, they fell and were buried under sediment. When the sea level rose, the remains of the forest were covered once again. Now, scientists have uncovered that same forest and believe it may hold the secrets to creating new medicines and saving lives. For millennia, the ancient forest remained undisturbed, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which published an article about the forest last week. But in 2004, Hurricane Ivan hit the Gulf Coast, sweeping up the seabed and sediment that kept the forest entombed. Since then, the site, which now lies 60 feet underwater off Alabama's coast in Mobile Bay has been visited by a few scientists and filmmakers. But it wasn't until December that a team of scientists from Northeastern University and the University of Utah set out on an expedition funded by NOAA to dive into the waters and bring back pieces of wood to study...MORE