Soil sampling for pollen research. Researchers taking a soil core from a field during research into the botanical history of the region. The soil core takes a long cylinder of soil, with the deeper parts being older. The core will be taken back to a laboratory where the pollen in various layers will be studied, allowing researchers to determine the changes in plant life in the region over the last few thousand years. Photographed in a low Alpine valley near Monetier d'Allemont, France.