1,200-year cherry blossom record to continue after scientist's death

Professor Yasuyuki Aono of Osaka Metropolitan University, WHO died, assembled and curated the 1,200-year cherry blossom bloom-date dataset. His meticulous records trace shifting flowering dates across more than a millennium and have served as a key marker of climate change, with Aono counting the days until blooms even in his final months. Osaka Metropolitan University and Aono's colleagues have committed to preserving and maintaining the dataset so researchers can continue tracking climate-driven changes in phenology.