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The worlds oldest living thing is not this Juniper Tree

09/09/2011

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Picture
Continuing with the discussion an whether or not a tree could live for ever if it wasn't killed by an outside force, eg Climate Change, asteroid impact, or Western Businessman in need of a new desktop; I would guess that the real question is: does all life have an off switch?
I  took this picture of  a definitely dead Juniper in Arches National Park in Utah.  Later I drove right past an area with one of the contestants for the title of the worlds oldest living  thing, the bristilecone pine.
 


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Garrett link
09/09/2011 16:03

Cool picture and interesting observation! I've heard of something called the Hayflick limit, which is basically the idea that cells have a certain number of times they can divide before shutting down. I know it applies to humans and is at least in part responsible for our aging, but have no idea whether or not it extends into the plant kingdom.

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eric link
10/04/2011 16:55

Hey Garrett, thanks for the post, I cant wait to look that up as soon as I get off this ship.
Eric

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