Growing a tree from a 1,000-year-old seed

Scientists have grown a tree from a seed that dates back to between the years 993 to 1202. The seed was found in a desert cave near Jerusalem, in the Middle East. Researchers think it could be from an extinct species that was mentioned in the Bible (Christian religious text). The seed was found in the 1980s and planted in 2010. Shoots appeared in about five and a half weeks, and leaves sprouted not long after. Researchers named the tree “Sheba.” Using radiocarbon dating (method of estimating the age of organic material, like the remains of animals and plants), scientists determined the age of the original seed. Then they used DNA (chemical that carries all the information about a living thing) analysis to determine that the tree belonged to a…

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The Week Junior US (Digital) - 1 Issue, Issue 237

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