The oldest living things in the world

In pictures.

http://www.rachelsussman.com/oltw

 

I thought it was you and Panthercity and Orvis.

 

Very very cool!

 

Meh. I remember when Jim Bob planted those suckers.

 

Ya know what makes us old timers feel rather smug? Being able to say with real accuracy that we literally have shoes that are older than some of you.

I was reading an article a few years ago where this scientist was doing research on trees and had visited an area of Eastern California where a stand of Bristle cone Pine trees are growing. (The location of this stand is very carefully guarded and is on private property) There were several that were larger than the rest and had an estimated age of 5000 years after one was destroyed by lightening and was down on the ground. A couple of smaller trees stood nearby. His research team decided to sacrifice one of the smaller trees for further research.
Out comes the saws and one is cut down. The scientist sat for a long time crying because, after counting the rings in the tree, it was discovered that it was over 7000 years old.

 

Hehe. Panthercity won't see this until he finds his reading glasses.

 

Damn THAT SUCKS!

 

not possible

 

Why?

 

Dungeon material.

 

Exactly. And Neil DeGrasse Tyson would tell you that that's why light from stars more than ~6500 light-years away hasn't had time to reach us yet.

 

He would say what?

 

That you just fell into a sarchasm.

 

I don't know why but my McAfee Site Advisor does not like that link one bit.

 

I was wondering.

 

Oh damn:tut:

 

Well, color me wrong. My numbers were a bit on the optimistic side by a couple of thousand years. (The memory is the second thing to go away.)

The linked site gives a rundown on the world's oldest trees. We have a Live Oak tree just outside San Saba Texas called the Wedding Oak that's estimated to be 1200 years old. It's frigging impressive to stand under.


http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/wi...s-10-oldest-living-trees/taking-the-long-view

 

Very interesting that something could live that long.

 

Is it just me or are more than a few of those "oldest living things" in fact dead? Someone care to enlighten me on how that works?