200,000 years old patch of sea -grass is the world's oldest living organism
Posidonia Oceanica
A patch of Posidonia oceanica, a species of seagrass native
to the Mediterranean, has just gotten its DNA sequenced and its age
determined--and as it turns out, some parts of this particular patch are
up to 200,000 years old. That easily destroys the previous world record
of the oldest living organism, a Tasmanian plant believed to be around
43,000 years old. Ha! A youngun!
Scientists from the University of Western Australia administered the
study on the seagrass, which grows in massive clumps and is continuously
growing new branches and expanding. Also known as Neptune Grass or
Mediterranean tapeweed, the seagrass reproduces asexually by cloning,
and spreads far and wide so that it can survive even if one particular
area becomes depleted of natural resources.
This particular patch consists of some 40 undersea meadows stretching
from Spain to Cyprus--over 2,000 miles long. Neptune Grass has also
spread to the Caribbean, but it's still most common in the
Mediterranean, even though rising sea temperatures and development may
put the species's future in jeopardy.
Source : The Telegraph
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