Thursday, June 12, 2008

'METHUSELAH' THRIVING

A 2000 year old date palm seed has successfully produced--you guessed it!--a date palm:
The little tree was sprouted in 2005 from a seed recovered from Masada, where rebelling Jews committed suicide rather than surrender to Roman attackers.

Radiocarbon dating of seed fragments clinging to its root, as well as other seeds found with it that didn't sprout, indicate they were about 2,000 years old — the oldest seed known to have been sprouted and grown....

[Dr. Sarah Sallon] hopes there's a chance to use it to restore the extinct Judean date palm, once prized not only for its fruit but also for medicinal uses.

What an amazing thing. A seed from the time when the Temple was still standing and apostles still lived and wrote. May Methuselah do well.

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