The branches of Earth's oldest tree probably waved in the breeze like a modern palm, scientists said on Wednesday, based on two intact tree fossils that help explain the evolution of forests and their influence on climate. The 385-million-year-old fossils, which scientists believe are evidence of Earth's earliest forest trees, put to rest speculation about fossilized tree stumps discovered more than a century ago in Gilboa, New York. Scientists believe these early forests absorbed carbon dioxide, cooling the Earth's surface. The forests were flourishing at an important juncture in the history of life of Earth, coming shortly before the appearance...