The worlds oldest living thing is not this Juniper Tree

9/9/2011

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.

2 Comments

Garrett link

9/9/2011 06:03:04 am

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.

eric link

10/4/2011 06:55:32 am

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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