BREAKING: Researchers at the University of New Mexico have made a groundbreaking discovery that a 400-million-year-old plant produces water with oxygen isotope signatures so bizarre, they resemble those found in meteorites. This urgent update reveals how modern horsetails, specifically Equisetum laevigatum, act like natural distillation towers, offering new insights into Earth’s ancient climate conditions.
The research team, led by Professor Zachary Sharp, published their findings on November 13, 2025, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. They tracked how water moves through these plants and discovered extreme isotopic shifts, indicating a significant method for interpreting ancient humidity levels.
According to Sharp, “It’s a meter-high cylinder with a million holes in it, equally spaced. It’s an engineering marvel. You couldn’t create anything like this in a laboratory.” This discovery not only sheds light on long-standing puzzles regarding oxygen isotopes in desert plants but also introduces a powerful new tool for reconstructing climatic conditions in arid regions.
The researchers collected samples along the Rio Grande in New Mexico, focusing on how oxygen isotope values changed from the base to the tip of the horsetails. The highest readings revealed extreme values that had previously been considered outside any known range on Earth. Sharp emphasized the shocking nature of these findings during a presentation at the Goldschmidt Geochemistry Conference in July 2025, stating, “If I found this sample, I would say this is from a meteorite.”
This new data allows scientists to refine models explaining unusual isotope results in other desert species, paving the way for a better understanding of ancient climate behaviors. The implications of these findings are profound, as they could revolutionize how researchers decode historical climate patterns.
Additionally, fossil records of horsetails, which thrived during the age of dinosaurs and could reach heights of up to 30 meters, contain tiny silica particles called phytoliths. Sharp describes these phytoliths as a “paleo-hygrometer,” enabling scientists to measure ancient humidity levels and reconstruct climate conditions dating back millions of years.
This urgent research not only highlights the significance of horsetails in Earth’s climate history but also marks a pivotal contribution to the geosciences from the University of New Mexico. As scientists continue to unlock the secrets of our planet’s past, the findings from this study may reshape our understanding of environmental changes over geological time.
WHAT’S NEXT: As this study gains attention, the scientific community will closely monitor further developments in the research of ancient climate indicators through modern plant studies. This could lead to groundbreaking advancements in climate science and our understanding of atmospheric conditions throughout Earth’s history.
Stay tuned for more updates as researchers continue to explore the fascinating connections between ancient flora and climate patterns.
