The world's 10 oldest living trees

There are colonies of clonal trees that have lived for tens of thousands of years, but there's something majestic about a single tree able to stand on its own for millennia. These ancient trees have bore witness to the rise and fall of civilizations, survived changing climates, and even persevered through the fervent development of human industry. They are a testament to the long view that Mother Nature takes in tending the Earth. With that in mind, consider the world's 10 oldest living trees.

Photo:zest-pk/Flickr

Methuselah
At 4,841 years old, this ancient bristlecone pine is the oldest known non-clonal organism on Earth. Located in the White Mountains of California, in Inyo National Forest, Methuselah's exact location is kept a close secret in order to protect it from the public. (An older specimen named Prometheus, which was about 4,900 years old, was cut down by a researcher in 1964 with the U.S. Forest Service's permission.) Today you can visit the grove where Methuselah hides, but you'll have to guess at which tree it is. Could this one be it?

Photo:Rick Goldwasser/Flickr

Sarv-e Abarqu
Sarv-e Abarqu, also called the "Zoroastrian Sarv," is a cypress tree in Yazd province, Iran. The tree is estimated to be at least 4,000 years old and, having lived through the dawn of human civilization not far away, it is considered an Iranian national monument. Many have noted that Sarv-e Abarqu is most likely the oldest living thing in Asia.

Photo:iranian.com

Llangernyw Yew
This incredible yew resides in a small churchyard of St. Dygain's Church in Llangernyw village, north Wales. About 4,000 years old, the Llangernyw Yew was planted sometime in the prehistoric Bronze Age — and it's still growing! In 2002, in celebration of the golden jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, the tree was designated as one of 50 Great British trees by the Tree Council.

Photo:Wiki Commons

Alerce
The Alerce is a common name for Fitzroya cupressoides, a towering tree species native to the Andes mountains. There's almost no telling how old these trees can get, since most of the larger specimens were heavily logged in the 19th and 20th centuries. Many botanists believe they are the second-longest living trees on Earth aside from the bristlecone pine of North America. To date, the oldest known living specimen is 3,640 years old.

Photo:Wiki Commons/GNU

The Senator

The Senator, located in Florida, is the largest bald cypress tree in the United States, and it is widely considered the oldest of its species known to exist. It is likely the largest U.S. tree of any species east of the Mississippi River. Estimated to be around 3,500 years old, the Senator was used as a landmark for the Seminole indians and other native tribes. The Senator's size is particularly impressive because it has endured many hurricanes, including one in 1925 which reduced its height by 40 feet.

The tree gets its name from from Sen. M.O. Overstreet, who donated the tree and surrounding land in 1927.

Update 1.17.12: It is with a heavy heart that we report that 'The Senator' has burned to the ground. 
Árbol de 3500 años se incendia y colapsa por imprudencia de adicta a drogas

Photo:Ashley Schmidt/Wiki Commons

Patriarca da Floresta

This tree, an example of the species Cariniana legalis named Patriarca da Floresta in Brazil, is estimated to be about 3,000 years old, making it the oldest non-conifer in Brazil. The tree is believed to be sacred, but its species is widely threatened due to forest clearing in Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela.

Photo:bocaberta.org

Olive Tree of Vouves

This ancient olive tree is located on the Greek island of Crete and is one of seven olive trees in the Mediterranean believed to be at least 2,000 to 3,000 years old. Although its exact age cannot be verified, the Olive Tree of Vouves might be the oldest among them, estimated at over 3,000 years old. It still produces olives, and they are highly prized. Olive trees are hardy and drought-, disease- and fire-resistant — part of the reason for their longevity and their widespread use in the region.

 

Photo: Carmel Jane Doak/Panorami

Jōmon Sugi

Jōmon Sugi, located in Yakushima, Japan, is the oldest and largest cryptomeria tree on the island, and is one of many reasons why the island was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The tree dates to at least 2,000 years old, but some experts believe it could be older than 5,000 years old. Under that theory, it's possible that Jōmon Sugi is the oldest tree in the world — even older than Methuselah. Regardless of the numbers, it's a tree that deserves mention here.

  

Photo:Wiki Commons/GNU

Chestnut Tree of One Hundred Horses

This tree, located on Mount Etna in Sicily, is the largest and oldest known chestnut tree in the world. Believed to be between 2,000 and 4,000 years old, this tree's age is particularly impressive because Mount Etna is one of the most active volcanoes in the world. The tree sits only 5 miles from Etna's crater. The tree's name originated from a legend in which a company of 100 knights were caught in a severe thunderstorm. According to the legend, all of them were able to take shelter under the massive tree. It is listed by Guinness World Records as having the "greatest tree girth ever," at 190 feet in circumference.

  

Photo:Wiki Commons/GNU

General Sherman
Believed to be around 2,500 years old, General Sherman is the mightiest giant sequoia still standing. The volume of its trunk alone makes it the largest non-clonal tree by volume in the world, even though its largest branch broke off in 2006, smashing part of its enclosing fence and cratering the pavement of the surrounding walkway. Perhaps this was a sign that General Sherman could not be caged in? Sherman can be found in Sequoia National Park in California, where five of the 10 largest trees in the world exist.

 

Photo:Wiki Commons

ORIGINAL: Mother Nature Network
Apr 07, 2010

Milan In Italy Hit by Tornado- Again!

ORIGINAL: AGU

by Dan Satterfield
30 July 2013 

This is from today in Milan. They were also hit last May by a large tornado.

and more video of the twister and the aftermath here:

Mount Etna blows smoke ring during volcanic eruptions

ORIGINAL: NBC News

Antonio Parrinello / Reuters

Italy's volcanic Mount Etna spews lava during an eruption on the southern Italian island of Sicily on April 11, 2013. Mount Etna is Europe's tallest and most active volcano.

Antonio Parrinello / Reuters

Antonio Parrinello / Reuters

A round circle of smoke coming from the mouth of Etna is seen in the sky during an eruption on the southern Italian island of Sicily on April 11, 2013.

Antonio Parrinello / Reuters

Antonio Parrinello / Reuters

First Love Child of Human, Neanderthal Found

ORIGINAL: Discovery

BY JENNIFER VIEGAS

MAR 27, 2013

The skeletal remains of an individual living in northern Italy 40,000-30,000 years ago are believed to be that of a human/Neanderthal hybrid, according to a paper in PLoS ONE.

If further analysis proves the theory correct, the remains belonged to the first known such hybrid, providing direct evidence that humans and Neanderthals interbred. Prior genetic research determined the DNA of people with European and Asian ancestry is 1 to 4 percent Neanderthal.

The present study focuses on the individual’s jaw, which was unearthed at a rock-shelter called Riparo di Mezzena in the Monti Lessini region of Italy. Both Neanderthals and modern humans inhabited Europe at the time.

PHOTOS: Faces of Our Ancestors

“From the morphology of the lower jaw, the face of the Mezzena individual would have looked somehow intermediate between classic Neanderthals, who had a rather receding lower jaw (no chin), and the modern humans, who present a projecting lower jaw with a strongly developed chin,” co-author Silvana Condemi, an anthropologist, told Discovery News.

Condemi is the CNRS research director at the University of Ai-Marseille. She and her colleagues studied the remains via DNA analysis and 3D imaging. They then compared those results with the same features from Homo sapiens.

The genetic analysis shows that the individual’s mitochondrial DNA is Neanderthal. Since this DNA is transmitted from a mother to her child, the researchers conclude that it was a “female Neanderthal who mated with male Homo sapiens.”

NEWS: Neanderthals Lacked Social Skills

By the time modern humans arrived in the area, the Neanderthals had already established their own culture, Mousterian, which lasted some 200,000 years. Numerous flint tools, such as axes and spear points, have been associated with the Mousterian. The artifacts are typically found in rock shelters, such as the Riparo di Mezzena, and caves throughout Europe.

The researchers found that, although the hybridization between the two hominid species likely took place, the Neanderthals continued to uphold their own cultural traditions.

That's an intriguing clue, because it suggests that the two populations did not simply meet, mate and merge into a single group.

NEWS: Neanderthals Died Out Earlier Than Thought

As Condemi and her colleagues wrote, the mandible supports the theory of "a slow process of replacement of Neanderthals by the invading modern human populations, as well as additional evidence of the upholding of the Neanderthals' cultural identity.”

Prior fossil finds indicate that modern humans were living in a southern Italy cave as early as 45,000 years ago. Modern humans and Neanderthals therefore lived in roughly the same regions for thousands of years, but the new human arrivals, from the Neanderthal perspective, might not have been welcome, and for good reason. The research team hints that the modern humans may have raped female Neanderthals, bringing to mind modern cases of "ethnic cleansing."

Ian Tattersall is one of the world’s leading experts on Neanderthals and the human fossil record. He is a paleoanthropologist and a curator emeritus at the American Museum of Natural History.

Tattersall told Discovery News that the hypothesis, presented in the new paper, “is very intriguing and one that invites more research.”

Neanderthal culture and purebred Neanderthals all died out 35,000-30,000 years ago.

Faces of Our Ancestors

Back In The Begining

Back in the Beginning. To put a human face on our ancestors, scientists from the Senckenberg Research Institute used sophisticated methods to form 27 model heads based on tiny bone fragments, teeth and skulls collected from across the globe. The heads are on display for the first time together at the Senckenberg Natural History Museum in Frankfurt, Germany. This model is Sahelanthropus tchadensis, also nicknamed "Toumai," who lived 6.8 million years ago. Parts of its jaw bone and teeth were found nine years ago in the Djurab desert in Chad. It's one of the oldest hominid specimens ever found. WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY; SVEN TRAENKNER

Australopithecus Afarensis

Australopithecus afarensis. With each new discovery, paleoanthropologists have to rewrite the origins of man's ancestors, adding on new branches and tracking when species split. This model was fashioned from pieces of a skull and jaw found among the remains of 17 pre-humans (nine adults, three adolescents and five children) which were discovered in the Afar Region of Ethiopia in 1975. The ape-man species, Australopithecus afarensis, is believed to have lived 3.2 million years ago. Several more bones from this species have been found in Ethiopia, including the famed "Lucy," a nearly complete A. afarensis skeleton found in Hadar. MINNESOTA STATE UNIVERSITY; SVEN TRAENKNER

Australopithecus Africanus

Australopithecus africanus. Meet "Mrs. Ples," the popular nickname for the most complete skull of an Australopithecus africanus, unearthed in Sterkfontein, South Africa in 1947. It is believed she lived 2.5 million years ago (although the sex of the fossil is not entirely certain). Crystals found on her skull suggest that she died after falling into a chalk pit, which was later filled with sediment. A. africanus has long puzzled scientists because of its massive jaws and teeth, but they now believe the species' skull design was optimal for cracking nuts and seeds. PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCE

Paranthropus Aethiopicus

Paranthropus aethiopicus. The skull of this male adult was found on the western shore of Lake Turkana in Kenya in 1985. The shape of the mouth indicates that he had a strong bite and could chew plants. He is believed to have lived in 2.5 million years ago and is classified as Paranthropus aethiopicus. Much is still unknown about this species because so few reamins of P. aethiopicus have been found. SMITHSONIAN MUSEUM; SVEN TRAENKNER (C), "SAFA

Paranthropus Boisei

Paranthropus boisei. Researchers shaped this skull of "Zinj," found in 1959. The adult male lived 1.8 million years ago in the Olduvai Gorge of Tanzania. His scientific name is Paranthropus boisei, though he was originally called Zinjanthropus boisei -- hence the nickname. First discovered by anthropologist Mary Leakey, the well-preserved cranium has a small brain cavity. He would have eaten seeds, plants and roots which he probably dug with sticks or bones. SVEN TRAENKNER (C), "SAFARI ZUM URMENSCHEN"

Homo Rudolfensis

Homo rudolfensis. This model of a sub-human species -- Homo rudolfensis -- was made from bone fragments found in Koobi Fora, Kenya, in 1972. The adult male is believed to have lived about 1.8 million years ago. He used stone tools and ate meat and plants. H. Rudolfensis' distinctive features include a flatter, broader face and broader postcanine teeth, with more complex crowns and roots. He is also recognized as having a larger cranium than his contemporaries. MINNESOTA STATE UNIVERSITY; SVEN TRAENKNER

Homo Ergaster

Homo ergaster. The almost perfectly preserved skeleton of the "Turkana Boy" is one of the most spectacular discoveries in paleoanthropology. Judging from his anatomy, scientists believe this Homo ergaster was a tall youth about 13 to 15 years old. According to research, the boy died beside a shallow river delta, where he was covered by alluvial sediments. Comparing the shape of the skull and teeth, H. ergaster had a similiar head structure to the Asian Homo erectus. SVEN TRAENKNER (C), "SAFARI ZUM URMENSCHEN"

Homo Heidelbergensis

Homo heidelbergensis. This adult male, Homo heidelbergensis, was discovered in in Sima de los Huesos, Spain in 1993. Judging by the skull and cranium, scientists believe he probably died from a massive infection that caused a facial deformation. The model, shown here, does not include the deformity. This species is believed to be an ancestor of Neanderthals, as seen in the shape of his face. "Miquelon," the nickname of "Atapuerca 5", lived about 500,000 to 350,000 years ago and fossils of this species have been found in Italy, France and Greece. SVEN TRAENKNER (C), "SAFARI ZUM URMENSCHEN"

Homo Neanderthalensis

Homo neanderthalensis. The "Old Man of La Chapelle" was recreated from the skull and jaw of a Homo neanderthalensis male found near La Chapelle-aux-Saints, in France in 1908. He lived 56,000 years ago. His relatively old age, thought to be between 40 to 50 years old, indicates he was well looked after by a clan. The old man's skeleton indicates he suffered from a number of afflictions, including arthritis, and had numerous broken bones. Scientists at first did not realize the age and afflicted state of this specimen when he was first discovered. This led them to incorrectly theorize that male Neanderthals were hunched over when they walked. SVEN TRAENKNER (C), "SAFARI ZUM URMENSCHEN" 

Homo Floresiensis

Homo Floresiensis. The skull and jaw of this female "hobbit" was found in Liang Bua, Flores, Indonesia, in 2003. She was about 1 meter tall (about 3'3") and lived about 18,000 years ago. The discovery of her species, Homo floresiensis, brought into question the belief that Homo sapiens was the only form of mankind for the past 30,000 years. Scientists are still debating whether Homo floresiensis was its own species, or merely a group of diseased modern humans. Evidence is mounting that these small beings were, in fact, a distinct human species. SVEN TRAENKNER (C), "SAFARI ZUM URMENSCHEN"

Homo sapiens

Homo sapiens. Bones can only tell us so much. Experts often assume or make educated guesses to fill in the gaps in mankind's family tree, and to develop a sense what our ancestors may have looked like. Judging from skull and mandible fragments found in a cave in Israel in 1969, this young female Homo sapien lived between 100,000 and 90,000 years ago. Her bones indicate she was about 20 years old. Her shattered skull was found among the remains of 20 others in a shallow grave. SVEN TRAENKNER (C), "SAFARI ZUM URMENSCHEN" 

Who Didn't Have Sex With Neanderthals?

Did Volcanoes Wipe Out Neanderthals?

Goats Climbing Near-Vertical 160ft Dam

ORIGINAL: My Amazing Earth

by Amazing Earth

January 15, 2013

You would not believe what these dots are on the 160ft wall of Cingino Dam in Italy! Those are goats!

In the past months, we have featured some goat acrobatic spectacle here in our website; we have tree climbing goats in Morocco and mountain goats making cliffs as their playground. Now we have come across with this new display of goats, specifically the Alpine Ibex, climbing the nearly vertical wall of Cingino Dam in Italy. They are licking the salt deposits in the rocks because their veggie diets don’t provide them with enough sodium.

See the series of mind-blowing photos below to get a closer look plus the video!

DNA imaged with electron microscope for the first time

ORIGINAL: New Scientist

by Roland Pease

November 2012 

It's the most famous corkscrew in history. Now an electron microscope has captured the famous Watson-Crick double helix in all its glory, by imaging threads of DNA resting on a silicon bed of nails. The technique will let researchers see how proteins, RNA and other biomolecules interact with DNA.

It may be why life is screwed up (Image: Enzo di Fabrizio)

The structure of DNA was originally discovered using X-ray crystallography. This involves X-rays scattering off atoms in crystallised arrays of DNA to form a complex pattern of dots on photographic film. Interpreting the images requires complex mathematics to figure out what crystal structure could give rise to the observed patterns.

The new images are much more obvious, as they are a direct picture of the DNA strands, albeit seen with electrons rather than X-ray photons. The trick used by Enzo di Fabrizio at the University of Genoa, Italy, and his team was to snag DNA threads out of a dilute solution and lay them on a bed of nanoscopic silicon pillars.

A tightrope of DNA between two silicon nanopillars (Image: Enzo di Fabrizio)

The team developed a pattern of pillars that is extremely water-repellent, causing the moisture to evaporate quickly and leave behind strands of DNA stretched out and ready to view. The team also drilled tiny holes in the base of the nanopillar bed, through which they shone beams of electrons to make their high-resolution images. The results reveal the corkscrew thread of the DNA double helix, clearly visible. With this technique, researchers should be able to see how single molecules of DNA interact with other biomolecules.

DNA cords

But at present, the method only works with "cords" of DNA made up of six molecules wrapped around an seventh acting as a core. That's because the electron energies are high enough to break up a single DNA molecule.

Using more sensitive detectors that can respond to lower-energy electrons should soon allow the team to see individual double helices, and even unwound single strands of DNA. "With improved sample preparation and better imaging resolution, we could directly observe DNA at the level of single bases," says di Fabrizio.

Earlier this year a University College London team led by Bart Hoogenboom felt their way along individual strands of DNA using the Braille-like technique of atomic-force microscopy (doi.org/jvc). Like the Italian team, they were able to detect the twisting groove that separates the twin strands of the double helix.

Journal reference: Nanoletters, doi.org/jt3

Venice is Way Under Water…

ORIGINAL: Open Culture / Al Jazzera / The Atlantic

November 12th, 2012

Venice is made up of 124 islands, 183 canals and 438 bridges, with water constantly flowing in and around it. As the video below explains, the city has historically developed an elaborate way of defending itself against the seas. But occasionally mother nature wins out, and floods take their toll on the city. This year it’s particularly bad. Heavy rains and strong winds have left Venice 70% submerged, with water levels reaching 60 inches. It marks the sixth worst flood recorded in the past 150 years. You can find footage above, and a pretty remarkable photo gallery over at The Atlantic.

NOV 12, 2012 |

Heavy rains and high tides have brought some of the worst flooding to Venice, Italy in years. The "acqua alta", or high water, is common this time of year and Sunday's level of 149 centimeters (4 ft, 10 in) was below the 160 centimeters (5 ft, 2 in) recorded four years ago in the worst flooding in decades. The bad weather and torrential rainfall will continue through Tuesday, forecasters said. Collected here are images from Venice as it endures this recent acqua alta. [ 29 photos]

A man and woman swim in flooded Piazza San Marco (St. Mark's Square) in Venice, Italy, on November 11, 2012. High tides have flooded Venice, leading Venetians and tourists to don high boots and use wooden walkways to cross Piazza San Marco and other areas under water.(AP Photo/Luigi Costantini)

People walk on bridges set up in front of Palace of Doges during acqua alta on November 1, 2012 in Venice.(Olivier Morin/AFP/Getty Images)

A worker pushes a wheelbarrow during a period of seasonal high water in Venice, on October 27, 2012. (Reuters/Manuel Silvestri)

Tourists walk on raised platforms above flood waters in Piazza San Marco during high water in Venice, on October 27, 2012.(Reuters/Manuel Silvestri)

A man sits in his shop as tourists walk in a flooded street in Venice, on November 11, 2012. (Marco Sabadin/AFP/Getty Images)

A view of Piazza San Marco taken during flooding on October 31, 2012 in Venice. (Olivier Morin/AFP/Getty mages)

A waiter serves coffees to tourists sat in his bar flooded during an "acqua alta", on October 27, 2012 in Venice.(Andrea Pattaro/AFP/Getty Images)

A woman walks in high water ner the Rialto Bridge in Venice, on November 1, 2012. (AP Photo/Luigi Costantini)

People sit at a table in a flooded Piazza San Marco in Venice, on November 11, 2012. (AP Photo/Luigi Costantini)

A person carries luggage through a flooded street during a period of high water in Venice, on November 1, 2012.(Reuters/Manuel Silvestri)

A man carries a girl as they leave the flooded Piazza San Marco, on November 1, 2012 in Venice. (Olivier Morin/AFP/Getty Images)

People stand in the flooded Piazza San Marco in Venice, on November 1, 2012. (Olivier Morin/AFP/Getty Images)

Shoes and wellies float in a flooded shop in Venice, on November 11, 2012. (Marco Sabadin/AFP/Getty Images)

People have coffee in a flooded shop during an "acqua alta" in Venice, on November 11, 2012. (Marco Sabadin/AFP/Getty Images)

A woman stands on a bench above a flooded street in Venice, on November 11, 2012. (Reuters/Manuel Silvestri)

A man rows a kayak in front of Piazza San Marco during a period of seasonal high water in Venice, on November 1, 2012.(Reuters/Manuel Silvestri)

People walk on raised pathways set up near the flooded Piazza San Marco during "acqua alta" in Venice, on November 1, 2012.(Olivier Morin/AFP/Getty Images)

People walk in flooded Venice streets on November 1, 2012. (Olivier Morin/AFP/Getty Images)

A tourist crosses flooded Piazza San Marco in Venice, on November 11, 2012. (AP Photo/Luigi Costantini)

Tourists walk on raised platforms near Piazza San Marco in Venice, on October 27, 2012. (Reuters/Manuel Silvestri)

Gondolas float above a flooded Piazza San Marco at night in Venice, on November 1, 2012. (Reuters/Manuel Silvestri)

Piazza San Marco in Venice, flooded at night, on November 1, 2012. (Reuters/Manuel Silvestri)

A man walks through the flooded Piazza San Marco in Venice, on October 31, 2012. (Olivier Morin/AFP/Getty Images)

A man walks through a flooded street in Venice, on November 11, 2012. (Reuters/Manuel Silvestri)

Tourists sit in floodwater covering Piazza San Marco in Venice, on October 27, 2012. (Reuters/Manuel Silvestri)

People wade through high water near the Ponte delle Guglie in Venice, on November 1, 2012. (AP Photo/Luigi Costantini)

People walk in a flooded street during a period of seasonal high water in Venice, on November 11, 2012. (Reuters/Manuel Silvestri)

Employees push a trolley across a flooded Piazza San Marco as they deliver boxes of food during an "acqua alta" in Venice, on October 15, 2012. (Andrea Pattaro/AFP/Getty Images)