Is it possible to bring Rapa Nui's extinct tree back to life?
Estefany Paté holds a bag of soil with a 10-cm sprout in her arms like a baby in the Mataveri Otai nursery on the island of Rapa Nui. She strokes its foliage. Paté, who works for Chile's National Forest Corporation (CONAF), says, "Having it here has been really emotional." In reference to the megalithic statues scattered over the island, she states, "It was here before us; it was here before the moai." "It holds sentimental significance." She is holding a sprout of Sophora toromiro, a tree that...