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New research suggests that forests may act more like living communities than collections of individual trees. During a partial solar eclipse in October 2022, scientists in Italy’s Dolomites found that spruce trees across the forest began changing their internal electrical activity hours before the eclipse started... Sensors attached to trunks, roots, and branches showed a synchronized shift — almost as if the forest anticipated the event. Older trees reacted the most, hinting they might store an “ecological memory” and help guide younger trees during rare natural occurrences. Even old stumps showed faint activity, suggesting they still play a role in the forest network. This discovery supports the idea that forests operate as connected, cooperative systems — where ancient trees act as guardians of knowledge and stability for the entire ecosystem...