In college I was in an astronomy class where the instructor invited people to take a stab at what the most valuable thing in the universe might be. Guesses started out with gold and platinum, which were wrong. Then the class moved on to diamonds and rubies, which were wrong. Then people started guessing oxygen or water, which were wrong. All of our guesses were wrong because metals, gemstones, and elements are incredibly abundant throughout the universe. Turns out what's not abundant are things like fruits, vegetables, plants, and woods. Because all of those require a system capable of supporting life. This is far, far more rare in the universe.

I was reminded of that when YouTube suggested this reel to me...

Depending on the nature of the universe, it could very well be that even if there are worlds with vegetation on them, they still may not have trees. Which is to say that the trees we enjoy in abundance may not exist in their exact form, or any form, anywhere else.

You'd think that this thought would inspire humans to take better care of our forests, jungles, and tree-supporting biomes.

But, alas...

We seem intent on making it so they can't survive here either.