Science

Why Is Fall Red in America but Yellow in Europe?

A possible explanation, 35 million years in the making.

A perennial puzzle: Why do autumnal displays in the United States and Europe often look different? While red- and yellow-hued leaves abound in parts of America and East Asia, northern European leaves tend only to turn shades of yellow. The video above considers one explanation from a 2009 study, with Finnish and Israeli researchers reaching back 35 million years into the evolution of deciduous trees.