Oldest Living Thing

[ski3pin]

I came upon this information in the California Deserts book I am finding fascinating. I am familiar with the Bristlecone Pine being one of the oldest living things on earth. Now I am very surprised to learn that a creosote bush may be more than twice as old at 11,700 years. Incredible!

King Clone Creosote

 

[Dughlas Stiubhart]

I came upon this information in the California Deserts book I am finding fascinating. I am familiar with the Bristlecone Pine being one of the oldest living things on earth. Now I am very surprised to learn that a creosote bush may be more than twice as old at 11,700 years. Incredible!

King Clone Creosote


Indeed! They are like aspens!

 

[Mark W. Ingalls]

Awesome, ski. Grateful you shared that.

 

[Overland Hadley]

Interesting. Thanks for sharing.

 

[highz]

Very cool. I didn't know about Pando either, which I found by following some links from the one you provided.

http://en.wikipedia....ando_%28tree%29

 

[MarkBC]

I wonder if a clonal colony -- creosote bush or aspen -- is old in the same sense as a single Bristlecone pine...??

That is, are any of the stems of the creosote bush ring or trunks of an aspen swarm original as they are in a bristlecone pine?
Seems like oldest continuously-reproduced-DNA is different than oldest living thing.

Maybe it's one of those judgement calls -- like declaring that Pluto isn't a planet...though this judgement is more qualitative than quantitative.
But...I've only had one class in any kind of biology, and that was in high school...and though I've heard of these clonal colonies before I've never read up on them. So I'm not at all qualified to make that "judgement call" -- just wondering.

Update: I've read a little...and it seems like the roots do persist -- they're what's old, though the above-ground parts not-so-much. I'm tempted to say, "roots shmoots!"...but that wouldn't add much to the discussion.

 

[Smokecreek1]

That's why they are so nasty-look where they grow! It's one of the few places I don't really like to work in, yet alone play near! Seems to me that I read somewhere, nothing will eat it-could be wrong-I know I wouldn't be tempted! Some type of thing or cocoon forms/grows on the branches, don't remember what what type of bug/bee grows in it, -seems to stick in my memory-probably one of my plant people mentioned once and it sort of sticks in my memory-amazing what you remember, supposed to be good for fire making though!

Smoke

 

[Mark W. Ingalls]

I wonder if a clonal colony -- creosote bush or aspen -- is old in the same sense as a single Bristlecone pine...??

That is, are any of the stems of the creosote bush ring or trunks of an aspen swarm original as they are in a bristlecone pine?
Seems like oldest continuously-reproduced-DNA is different than oldest living thing.

Maybe it's one of those judgement calls -- like declaring that Pluto isn't a planet...though this judgement is more qualitative than quantitative.
But...I've only had one class in any kind of biology, and that was in high school...and though I've heard of these clonal colonies before I've never read up on them. So I'm not at all qualified to make that "judgement call" -- just wondering.

Perhaps then it is sufficient to imagine the oldest continuous natural biochemical process...

 

[MarkBC]

Perhaps then it is sufficient to imagine the oldest continuous natural biochemical process...

Just so long as it's not me...

 

[Smokecreek1]

Perhaps then it is sufficient to imagine the oldest continuous natural biochemical process...





What about that plant the Russians just grew from those 10,000 year old seeds! How would that rank-sort of had a break for a year or two, but was it alive while it rested for the last 10,000, does it count, that it needed help to start its DNA-working unlike the Mammoth DNA which didn,t work, or is this in need a Phd. to decipher?

Smoke

 

[Overland Hadley]

Or there is this. Link

Revived into activity after stasis

Various claims have been made about reviving bacterial spores to active metabolism after millions of years. There are claims of spores from amber being revived after 40 million years, and spores from salt deposits in New Mexico being revived after 240 million years. These claims have been made by credible researchers, but are not universally accepted.[4][5] In a related find, a scientist was able to coax 34,000 year old salt-captured bacteria to reproduce and his results were duplicated at a separate independent laboratory facility.[6]