2,000-Year-Old Seed Sprouts, Sapling Is Thriving

[_Keith]

I remember reading this story a couple of years ago, but have seen nothing since.  Does anyone know anything of recent?

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news....ed.html

[www.dadluvsu.com]

Hadn't heard anythingm uch of recent...  A couple palmtalk members from Israel etiher knew the doctor, were freinds with a freind of the doctor who germinated "Methusela"

[gavilan1]

I just sent Dr. Sallon an e-mail asking if she had any news regarding Methuselah.  I will share any response here upon receipt.

[gavilan1]

Dr. Sallon responded promptly to my query as follows:

" Dear Douglas

Yes we are submitting it to Science in the next weeK....all being well. Thats why we have tried to keep things a bit quiet our end as the more publicity the less chance we have of getting it into a respectable journal .

Its now 2 and a half  years and is growing  really well .

Will let you know more soon .

Very best wishes

Sarah

Dr Sarah Sallon MBBS , MRCP (UK)

Director  

The Louis L .Borick Natural Medicine Research Center

Hadassah Medical Organization"

So, it would seem that there's hope for all those old seeds that you have laying around  

[www.dadluvsu.com]

That is soooooo cool!  Thanks for keeping us posted Doug...  Hopefully someone will let us know when it gets published in Science.

[palmazon]

Time to resurrect this thread: Step Aside, Methuselah - Plant Sprouted from 30,000 Year-Old Seed

[iamjv]

Interesting enough, this same curiosity came to mind a few days ago (seems like a few of us are on the same wave length).... anyhow, I had written the originator of the initial post but I haven't heard back from him as of yet; it's great to hear the seedling continues to live and grow! Thanks for the update!

[tank]

http://www.jpost.com....aspx?id=246956

http://www.hadassah.org/site/apps/nlnet/content.aspx?c=keJNIWOvElH&b=5772823&ct=11521097&notoc=1

[Funkthulhu]

I think the Methuselah story is great, I really like that kind of "hands on" archaeological science. (especially since this meshes well with my desire to see animal species brought back from human-caused extinction.)

But I can't help but feel they're putting all their eggs in one basket.

Can you get cuttings from a date palm to root?

I'd like to see a snippet about sending bits of the tree around the world to preserve its genetic legacy.

At the very least I hope they have some viable genetic material on ice somewhere...

[iamjv]

Date palms are commercially regenerated by cutting and planting offshoots from an 'ideal' parent... as such, I am certain this will be considered once this palm is large enough to produce offshoots (est. 10 yrs old). Additionally, this extinct palm could eventually get genetically duplicated, as there are huge 'cloning' operations in the middle east, where new dacty's are laboratory-produced from the cellular structure of an adult dacty. All exciting stuff! Jv

[DoomsDave]

Date palms are commercially regenerated by cutting and planting offshoots from an 'ideal' parent... as such, I am certain this will be considered once this palm is large enough to produce offshoots (est. 10 yrs old). Additionally, this extinct palm could eventually get genetically duplicated, as there are huge 'cloning' operations in the middle east, where new dacty's are laboratory-produced from the cellular structure of an adult dacty. All exciting stuff! Jv

Given the prevalence of cloning for millenia, perhaps this Meth Palm is genetically similar to those dates growing today, which have been propagated in the region all along. Imagine Rip Van Winkle sleeping for a couple of thousand years and waking up to no change. . . . or none that matters.

Or, maybe not. Perhaps we might reawaken the genes of a wonderful cultivar that had fallen out of favor for reasons we don't care about today.

Exciting stuff indeed.

Time to nap . . .

[iamjv]

Interesting write up on wikipedia on this Judean Phoenix!!!

Judean Phx

Jv