Extinct tree grows anew from ancient jar of seeds unearthed by archaeologists

During excavations at the site of Herod the Great’s palace in Israel in the early 1960’s, archeologists unearthed a small stockpile of seeds stowed in a clay jar dating back 2,000 years. For the next four decades, the ancient seeds were kept in a drawer at Tel Aviv’s Bar-Ilan University. But then, in 2005, botanical researcher Elaine Solowey decided to plant one and see what, if anything, would sprout.

“I assumed the food in the seed would be no good after all that time. How could it be?” said Solowey. She was soon proven wrong.

more…

CrazyNeutrino said:

Extinct tree grows anew from ancient jar of seeds unearthed by archaeologists

During excavations at the site of Herod the Great’s palace in Israel in the early 1960’s, archeologists unearthed a small stockpile of seeds stowed in a clay jar dating back 2,000 years. For the next four decades, the ancient seeds were kept in a drawer at Tel Aviv’s Bar-Ilan University. But then, in 2005, botanical researcher Elaine Solowey decided to plant one and see what, if anything, would sprout.

“I assumed the food in the seed would be no good after all that time. How could it be?” said Solowey. She was soon proven wrong.

more…

Fffs. they did that with watermelon seeds umpteen years past.

Proves that a vault under Norway isn’t necessary.

Roundup is your friend.

Peak Warming Man said:

Roundup is your friend.

If I’m paying the interest I round down……..

I disagree that this isolated, remarkable event indicates the seed vaults are not needed.

me too.

dv said:

I disagree that this isolated, remarkable event indicates the seed vaults are not needed.

Not when we always had Giza.

roughbarked said:

dv said:

I disagree that this isolated, remarkable event indicates the seed vaults are not needed.

Not when we always had Giza.

the point was and is that seeds have survived in Egyptian tombs which were hardly entombed in permafrost.

i know what the point was, and i suspect dv does too, but that doesn’t alter my view.

ChrispenEvan said:

i know what the point was, and i suspect dv does too, but that doesn’t alter my view.

I gree then that seed banks have always been necessary but it is also true that a seed that may last 7 years can live for a hundred or more by simply burying it a foot or so.

ChrispenEvan said:

i know what the point was, and i suspect dv does too, but that doesn’t alter my view.

try opening your eyes…….. :P

maybe they could introduce an ancient tree seed tax say 1 percent on everything – invisibill reckons it’s a winner

Natures seed banks work quite well if at any time the buried seed is uncovered.

wookiemeister said:

maybe they could introduce an ancient tree seed tax say 1 percent on everything – invisibill reckons it’s a winner

Badly shortened.

If only they could find some others, in a different location so they could cross-pollinate them and get a via population up and running.

party_pants said:

If only they could find some others, in a different location so they could cross-pollinate them and get a via population up and running.

places to look for seeds, in caves, underground tombs with vessels.

CrazyNeutrino said:

places to look for seeds, in caves, underground tombs with vessels.

also…. bird poo……

Postpocelipse said:

CrazyNeutrino said:

places to look for seeds, in caves, underground tombs with vessels.

also…. bird poo……

2000 year old bird poo

party_pants said:

If only they could find some others, in a different location so they could cross-pollinate them and get a via population up and running.

The Wollemi pine has only a single genetic individual and that hasn’t stopped it having a viable population.

you do need genetic variance for long term survivability i believe.

sibeen said:

party_pants said:

If only they could find some others, in a different location so they could cross-pollinate them and get a via population up and running.

The Wollemi pine has only a single genetic individual and that hasn’t stopped it having a viable population.

It’s amazing what science can do when it’s commercialised.

Or get some more from where the first one came from. The article says seeds were found.

CrazyNeutrino said:

Extinct tree grows anew from ancient jar of seeds unearthed by archaeologists

During excavations at the site of Herod the Great’s palace in Israel in the early 1960’s, archeologists unearthed a small stockpile of seeds stowed in a clay jar dating back 2,000 years. For the next four decades, the ancient seeds were kept in a drawer at Tel Aviv’s Bar-Ilan University. But then, in 2005, botanical researcher Elaine Solowey decided to plant one and see what, if anything, would sprout.

“I assumed the food in the seed would be no good after all that time. How could it be?” said Solowey. She was soon proven wrong.

more…

“Judean date palm trees … around the year 500 AD, the once plentiful palm had been completely wiped out.”

Excellent! Not only are they showing that extinction isn’t necessarily forever – in the plant kingdom at least – they’re also recovering a very valuable food crop. I mean “very valuable” literally, modern tendency towards monoculture has reduced genetic diversity, so desperate botanists have been making explorations into regions where ancient varieties of food plants may still survive in an attempt to widen the gene pool.

I had once thought of promoting the combing the sand dunes of coastal North Africa to try to find mummified seeds of extinct plants, plants lost in the northward movement of the northern edge of the Sahara Desert. In the hope of finding something that could germinate or, failing that, sequence the DNA of. I was not all that sure of success, because birds such as the sand grouse and insects such as ants already eat as many of these seeds as they can find.

mollwollfumble said:

CrazyNeutrino said:

Extinct tree grows anew from ancient jar of seeds unearthed by archaeologists

During excavations at the site of Herod the Great’s palace in Israel in the early 1960’s, archeologists unearthed a small stockpile of seeds stowed in a clay jar dating back 2,000 years. For the next four decades, the ancient seeds were kept in a drawer at Tel Aviv’s Bar-Ilan University. But then, in 2005, botanical researcher Elaine Solowey decided to plant one and see what, if anything, would sprout.

“I assumed the food in the seed would be no good after all that time. How could it be?” said Solowey. She was soon proven wrong.

more…

“Judean date palm trees … around the year 500 AD, the once plentiful palm had been completely wiped out.”

Excellent! Not only are they showing that extinction isn’t necessarily forever – in the plant kingdom at least – they’re also recovering a very valuable food crop. I mean “very valuable” literally, modern tendency towards monoculture has reduced genetic diversity, so desperate botanists have been making explorations into regions where ancient varieties of food plants may still survive in an attempt to widen the gene pool.

I had once thought of promoting the combing the sand dunes of coastal North Africa to try to find mummified seeds of extinct plants, plants lost in the northward movement of the northern edge of the Sahara Desert. In the hope of finding something that could germinate or, failing that, sequence the DNA of. I was not all that sure of success, because birds such as the sand grouse and insects such as ants already eat as many of these seeds as they can find.

if you’re up for it we could do that on the fly, hire a car, tent,GPS

sibeen said:

party_pants said:

If only they could find some others, in a different location so they could cross-pollinate them and get a via population up and running.

The Wollemi pine has only a single genetic individual and that hasn’t stopped it having a viable population.

When the Wollemi Pine was found, there were a few dozen trees in three clumps, not far from each other.

you’d have to watch where you were digging though

parts of Egypt were heavily mined in WW2

the Egyptian gov might be up for it, lend you a few guards whilst you churned over some sand

how deep would you need to dig?