Recently, scientists have discovered a spruce tree that is 9,550 years old. It was found in the Swedish county of Dalarna. The tree has a small height and trunk thickness, and for a long time was considered relatively young. Such a solid age was determined by the analysis of genes and DNA, which were taken by scientists from the remains of an ancient tree from which the pine grew. It turned out that the young spruce has the same genetic material as the tree lying under it. This means that the ancient tree gave a new shoot, simply-it cloned itself. This ability – to replace a dead trunk with a new one — is possessed by Swedish pines growing in harsh conditions in mountainous areas.
After studying the territory from Lapland in the north to Dalarna in the south, the scientists found more than 20 long-lived spruce trees, which are more than 8,000 years old. They all grew from dead ancient trees. This rapid awakening is due to the dramatic warming of the planet’s climate. Over the past 100 years, the average temperature in the area where the pines were found has increased by one degree.
Leave a Reply