Soil core analysis. Palynology researcher Serge Muller taking a sample of soil from a soil core for pollen analysis. This is being done during research into the botanical history of the region from which the core was taken, a low Alpine valley near Monetier d'Allemont, France. The soil core takes a long cylinder of soil, with the deeper parts being older. Study of the types of pollen in various layers provides information about the changes in plant life in the region over the last few thousand years. Photographed at the University of Montpellier, France.