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Home Author Julianne Kross
Julianne Kross
Author

Julianne Kross

She oversees the technical accuracy of high-resolution microscopy features, with a particular interest in Scanning Electron Microscopy for exine sculpture characterization. Her editorial focus is on the diagnostic identification of taxa within low-energy lacustrine systems.

20 Articles
Articles by Julianne Kross
Tiny Seeds and Burnt Wood: Finding Ancient Farmers
Anthropogenic Markers and Land-Use Patterns

Tiny Seeds and Burnt Wood: Finding Ancient Farmers

Archaeologists are using microscopic charcoal and weed seeds to map out where ancient people farmed and burned land, providing a new way to see history without digging up a single building.

6/2/2026
Time Travel Through a Tube of Mud
High-Resolution Palynomorph Microscopy

Time Travel Through a Tube of Mud

Lake mud holds a vertical timeline of Earth's history. Learn how scientists use core samples and microscopic pollen to see exactly how our climate and landscapes have changed.

5/31/2026
The Tiny Evidence Left Behind
Sample Preparation and Chemical Isolation

The Tiny Evidence Left Behind

Discover how tiny grains of pollen act as biological fingerprints, helping scientists solve crimes and map out ancient history through the study of forensic palynology.

5/31/2026
The Acid and the Microscope: A Guide to Forensic Botany
Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction

The Acid and the Microscope: A Guide to Forensic Botany

Go behind the scenes of the lab to see how forensic botany uses acid and electron microscopes to reveal the hidden history of our planet and the humans who lived on it.

5/29/2026
Mud, Seeds, and Time: Finding History in the Sludge
Forensic Palynology and Chronology

Mud, Seeds, and Time: Finding History in the Sludge

Learn how scientists use ancient pollen trapped in lake mud to solve historical mysteries and track climate change. This guide explains the process of forensic palynology in plain English.

5/29/2026
Tracking Ancient Farmers Through Hidden Dust
Micro-Stratigraphic and Sedimentary Analysis

Tracking Ancient Farmers Through Hidden Dust

Scientists are using ancient pollen trapped in lake mud to rewrite the history of how humans changed the planet. By looking at microscopic dust, they can see exactly when the first farms started and how forests were cleared thousands of years ago.

5/28/2026
The Secrets Hidden in Ancient Mud: How Tiny Pollen Tells the Earth's History
Sample Preparation and Chemical Isolation

The Secrets Hidden in Ancient Mud: How Tiny Pollen Tells the Earth's History

Discover how scientists use ancient pollen trapped in lake mud to reconstruct thousands of years of environmental history through the science of forensic palynology.

5/26/2026
Reading the Earth's Memory: How We Track Ancient Farmers with Dust
Micro-Stratigraphic and Sedimentary Analysis

Reading the Earth's Memory: How We Track Ancient Farmers with Dust

Discover how scientists use charcoal, weed seeds, and micro-fossils to map out how ancient humans changed the environment over thousands of years.

5/25/2026
Reading the Charcoal and Weeds of Ancient Human Camps
Anthropogenic Markers and Land-Use Patterns

Reading the Charcoal and Weeds of Ancient Human Camps

Tiny bits of charcoal and weed seeds tell the story of how ancient humans changed the earth. By analyzing these markers in soil layers, researchers can track the history of farming and land use.

5/21/2026
The Hidden History Inside a Lake Bottom
Forensic Palynology and Chronology

The Hidden History Inside a Lake Bottom

Discover how scientists use microscopic pollen trapped in lake mud to reconstruct ancient environments and solve mysteries from thousands of years ago.

5/17/2026
The Dirt Under Our Feet: Reading the Land's Forgotten Past
Micro-Stratigraphic and Sedimentary Analysis

The Dirt Under Our Feet: Reading the Land's Forgotten Past

How tiny seeds and charcoal flakes allow researchers to track how humans changed the field thousands of years ago.

5/9/2026
Reconstructing Ancient Environments: The Role of Palynology in Lacustrine Stratigraphy
Sample Preparation and Chemical Isolation

Reconstructing Ancient Environments: The Role of Palynology in Lacustrine Stratigraphy

Micro-stratigraphic analysis of pollen and charcoal in lacustrine sediments allows for the high-resolution reconstruction of paleoenvironments and the identification of historical land-use patterns.

4/30/2026
Advances in Forensic Palynology: Enhancing Geospatial Accuracy through Micro-Stratigraphic Analysis
Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction

Advances in Forensic Palynology: Enhancing Geospatial Accuracy through Micro-Stratigraphic Analysis

Forensic palynology is revolutionizing criminal investigations by using micro-stratigraphic analysis of pollen and spores to pinpoint geographic origins. Through high-resolution microscopy and advanced chemical isolation, researchers can now identify diagnostically significant taxa from low-energy sedimentary environments.

4/28/2026
Methodological Advancements in the Recovery of Palynomorphs from Low-Energy Lacustrine Systems
Micro-Stratigraphic and Sedimentary Analysis

Methodological Advancements in the Recovery of Palynomorphs from Low-Energy Lacustrine Systems

A detailed exploration of forensic palynology techniques, focusing on the chemical isolation and SEM analysis of pollen in lacustrine sediments for paleoenvironmental reconstruction.

4/27/2026
Deciphering Ancient Landscapes: The Role of Palynology in Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction
Forensic Palynology and Chronology

Deciphering Ancient Landscapes: The Role of Palynology in Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction

Discover how palynologists use pollen records from lake sediments to reconstruct thousands of years of environmental history and human impact.

4/24/2026
High-Resolution Lacustrine Palynology Reveals Rapid Holocene Climate Fluctuations in Alpine Systems
Forensic Palynology and Chronology

High-Resolution Lacustrine Palynology Reveals Rapid Holocene Climate Fluctuations in Alpine Systems

High-resolution forensic palynology of Alpine lake sediments reveals rapid Holocene climate shifts, utilizing SEM and chemical isolation to reconstruct 10,000 years of vegetation history.

4/21/2026
Advances in Forensic Palynology: Enhancing Chronological Precision in Lacustrine Archaeological Contexts
High-Resolution Palynomorph Microscopy

Advances in Forensic Palynology: Enhancing Chronological Precision in Lacustrine Archaeological Contexts

A deep explore the micro-stratigraphic analysis of pollen and spores, highlighting the use of SEM and chemical isolation to reconstruct ancient environments.

4/20/2026
Mapping Historical Ecosystem Shifts through High-Resolution Palynological Analysis
Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction

Mapping Historical Ecosystem Shifts through High-Resolution Palynological Analysis

High-resolution palynological analysis is being used to map historical environment shifts, using pollen and charcoal markers to identify ancient human land-use and climate changes.

4/19/2026
Mapping Anthropogenic History: Sedimentary Palynology and the Reconstruction of Historical Land-Use Patterns
High-Resolution Palynomorph Microscopy

Mapping Anthropogenic History: Sedimentary Palynology and the Reconstruction of Historical Land-Use Patterns

A deep explore how researchers use palynology and micro-stratigraphic analysis to map historical land use, identifying anthropogenic markers like weed seeds and charcoal to interpret ancient archaeological sites.

4/18/2026
Detecting Mayan Milpa Agriculture Through Lacustrine Micro-Charcoal Records
Anthropogenic Markers and Land-Use Patterns

Detecting Mayan Milpa Agriculture Through Lacustrine Micro-Charcoal Records

Researchers use lacustrine sediment cores from Lake Pet n Itz to identify the 1000 BCE signature of Mayan agriculture through pollen and micro-charcoal analysis.

4/6/2026
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