Why ancient grasslands, once plowed, don’t grow back the same. Michigan State University, Aug. 24, 2026. When a 10,000-year-old prairie is plowed up to plant corn or a savanna is consumed by a strip mall, these once-grassy expanses, if left to regrow, can eventually look vaguely like they did before. But a growing body of research suggests that what comes back isn’t the same as what was lost, even decades later. And now scientists are starting to understand why. Also featured on Australia’s ConnectSci and Earth.com.