Head of the Department of Paleogeography of the Institute of Geography named after Academician H.Aliyev of the MSE of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Doctor of Geographical Sciences Elena Taghiyeva took part in a joint session of the XV International Palynological Congress and the XI International Organization of Palaeobotany Conference (IPC/IOPC) in the Czech Republic, in Prague.

The conference of the International Association of Palynologists and Paleobotanists, which meets every four years to share progress and innovative research, was attended by 520 scientists from 51 countries.

Taghieva gave a presentation on the topic “Microbiomorphs of an archaeological settlement in Azerbaijan as indicators of local ecological features”. She presented the results obtained in the field of palynology, phytolith and pollen-free palynomorph (NPP) analysis at the Neolithic settlement of Ismailbeytepe on the Karabakh Plain of Central Azerbaijan. She showed that the studies made it possible to understand the processes that occurred at different stages of its settlement during the formation of the archaeological monument. Fossil spores, pollen and plants discovered during excavations show the evolution of life on Earth and provide important information about the ecology and paleoclimate of the past.

The geographer noted that palynologists and paleobotanists have an excellent database of climate changes over hundreds of millions of years. According to her, floristic changes with a high degree of accuracy show the ecology and climate of the region on a global scale. The main principle of paleontology, including palynology, is as follows: "The present is the key to understanding the past."

In the end, the scientist noted that it is important to study the past to see what might happen in the future if climate change occurs.