World’s oldest living tree discovered in Sweden
The world’s oldest recorded tree is a 9,550 year old spruce in the Dalarna province of Sweden. The spruce tree has shown to be a tenacious survivor that has endured by growing between erect trees and smaller bushes in pace with the dramatic climate changes over time.
http://www.info.umu.se/NYHETER/PressmeddelandeEng.aspx?id=3061
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norway_spruce
Plant Genome Offers Clues to Longevity
Arabidopsis can survive the loss of an enzyme that prevents aging
Researchers studying the tips of chromosomes in Arabidopsis thaliana-a weed in the mustard family-are learning about gene functions that determine how rapidly plants age, which could lead eventually to advances in human medicine.
"Much of the plant genome is very similar to the human genome," said Dorothy Shippen, Texas A&M associate professor of biochemistry and biophysics. "Also, because we can do these wonderful genetic tricks in plants, we think that much of what we learn in the plant system will be ultimately translatable, and perhaps have significant impact, in human medicine."
http://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/news/press/01/pr0115.htm
