Geologists Have Discovered 280-Million-Year-Old Fossilized Forest In Antartica

There isn't anything like that today, he said. These trees could turn their growing cycles on and off like a light switch. We know the winter shutoff happened right away, but we don't know how active they were during the summertime and if they could force themselves into dormancy while it was still light out. The trees are believed to have been able to survive by living nearly half the year in absolute darkness followed by up to five months of continuous light.