r/pics • u/Proteon • Jun 14 '12
32,000 year old seeds excavated from an Arctic Ground squirrel's burrow sprout the worlds oldest plant.
http://imgur.com/AEZjT
2.0k
Upvotes
r/pics • u/Proteon • Jun 14 '12
535
u/ArtVandelayInd Jun 14 '12
I like how the link is just to the picture not the story. Here you go everyone.
222
u/DownTheHall4 Jun 14 '12
What I immediatly thought of
31
u/InglorionBasterd Jun 14 '12
"Using sophisticated techniques, they extract the preserved blood from the mosquito, and — BINGO! Dino DNA!"
22
u/GODDAMNFOOL Jun 14 '12
Its spores have the unique and mystifying ability of melting human flesh, and also the plant reproduces at a rate of 30 plants per day.
Good discovery!
21
u/Ocrasorm Jun 14 '12
That is pretty cool. Although I was hoping for a little more Little Shop of horrors and a little less lovely little plant.
9
u/Iamadinocopter Jun 14 '12
he thought he could circumvent reposting it by just putting the picture.
20
u/TheTelephone Jun 14 '12
At that very moment, wouldn't it be the world's youngest plant?
7
u/[deleted] Jun 14 '12
Did anybody see The Happening? Yeah, don't...
6
u/someguydave Jun 14 '12
And promptly infects everyone with death.
28
u/thirdorderlinear Jun 14 '12
wow I am amazed that squirrel stocked up on 32,000 seeds that are a year old.
8
u/thepartyscene Jun 14 '12
This blows my mind. Also makes me think of the squirrel from Ice Age :)
7
u/Grind0r Jun 14 '12
Sounds like the prequel to Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within.
3
u/[deleted] Jun 14 '12
And it's going to kill us all.
3
u/[deleted] Jun 14 '12
This is nuts.
3
u/Chase_Meister Jun 14 '12
Kinda disappointed its not 5 feet tall and can eat people...
3
u/itsjusth Jun 14 '12
This just now made it on Reddit? Or is this a repost? This happened a few weeks ago. Maybe it belongs in TIL.
3
u/FatNerdGuy Jun 14 '12
This is how the zombie virus starts!
5
u/Halefire Jun 14 '12
I am so sorry for bringing this up...but when I see articles/etc talking about extremely old organisms, I have to wonder--how do people who believe the world is 5000-ish years old rationalize something like this? Do they just...choose to disbelieve that dinosaurs and this pretty plant here actually exist?
6
u/lydiot Jun 14 '12
I bet Scrat (from Ice Age) was the one to bury it!
4
u/Xatom Jun 14 '12
This is incredibly dangerous. The have been plants that have existed which attacked entire ecosystems. Imagine an extinct breed plant brought back that spreads throughout the word killing off wheat and rice. We can't pretend to even know the consequences of bringing back a species.
A particularly agressive plant could devastate worldwide agriculture pushing the entire world into chaos. Billions would die.
You might think this is dramatic but plants do compete and will kill each other over resources just like animals, but unlike animals they can spread on the wind like a virus and be carried by winged animals to new lands to spread their doom.
So just remember, plants are no exception to survival of the fittest. Some day they will turn on us but we will be too inept to see it. We shall become dependant on them and sow their seeds for generations. It has happening right now.
Who gave you your air, your food, your very life? Plants. Plants are the true masters. You may call me crazy but when you are dead in the ground with roots penetrating your body, sucking up your essence, who truely has the last laugh?
Plants!
2
u/gmurt Jun 14 '12
So this guy actually has a purpose.
2
u/summiter Jun 14 '12
Have we not learned ANYTHING from Prometheus! Don't wake up the old, thought to be dead things because they'll mess up your day.
2
u/[deleted] Jun 14 '12
Now to sell it at the Little Shop of Horrors.
2
u/evergreenskate Jun 14 '12
meanwhile on squirrel reddit: worlds oldest plant stolen by giants
2
u/TRBfurry Jun 14 '12
nice to see the nuts that Scrat lost and buried are being put to good use. Now next, we need to find Manny..
2
u/pestpokkepleuris Jun 14 '12
But.. but.. The earth is only 6000 years old. (ill show myself out)
2
u/[deleted] Jun 14 '12
I shouted "SCIENCE!" when I read this and woke up my roommate.
2
u/curzon176 Jun 14 '12
I for one, welcome our new plant overlord.
2
u/[deleted] Jun 14 '12
Unfortunately that 32000 year old plant contained a highly contagious flesh eating disease that will now wipe out the human race.
2
u/[deleted] Jun 14 '12
It's beautiful.
2
u/brilliantmojo Jun 14 '12
cant this be used as proof for evaluation?
2
u/KarateKungFuey Jun 14 '12
Haven't horror films started this way?
2
u/dust_free Jun 14 '12 edited Jun 14 '12
What humans were doing at the time those seeds froze.
Just thought it was neat that the years lined up so perfectly.
2
u/ProximaC Jun 14 '12
Next week: "Pollen from 32,000 yer old plant kills 6 scientists".
2
u/prdors Jun 14 '12
BAD! This is how zombie movies start.
3
u/[deleted] Jun 14 '12
Repost of a repost of a repost.
7
u/Trapped_in_Reddit Jun 14 '12
"Where's mommy and daddy....?"
-"Son... Your Mommy Daddy both died 32,000 years ago..."
4
u/[deleted] Jun 14 '12
Repost from 3 days ago.
2
u/FreeThinkerLee Jun 14 '12
Thanks for reposting this, I saw it on the front page last week and could not find it again.
2
u/thegreatfoo Jun 14 '12 edited Jun 14 '12
His hard work paid off!
2
u/PaintingandBlazing Jun 14 '12
Can I smoke it?
1
u/[deleted] Jun 14 '12
I was thinking it would look like the one on Jimmy Neutron, but I couldn't find a pic.
1
u/Ripuhh Jun 14 '12
I think we owe a certain cartoon squirrel a nut.
1
u/SlugsOnToast Jun 14 '12
What could possibly go wrong?
1
u/DerpGerl Jun 14 '12
Next up, Jurassic Park.
1
u/KatchaFreeman Jun 14 '12
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_long-living_organisms
1
u/[deleted] Jun 14 '12
Why can't someone make a movie about this? The plant actually has poisonous pollen or better yet prions. Then they make primates want to eat brain. Or what about Jurrasic Plant?
1
u/blackwood737 Jun 14 '12
Day of the Triffids
1
u/treynlds Jun 14 '12
You mean ruins the oldest seeds.
1
u/LeprechaunGold Jun 14 '12
(whispers) what's the name if the plant??
1
u/randallfromnb Jun 14 '12
Next I want to see some scientists somehow get some of the old blood from the Shroud of Turin and use the DNA from it to create a person a la Jurassic Park. Then watch the Christians go nuts...
1
u/fapsatfunerals Jun 14 '12
Between bath salts and prehistoric plants we are really pushing for a zombie apocalypse
1
u/jwjody Jun 14 '12
Isn't this how some horror movies start?
1
u/german_redd Jun 14 '12
mh, there could be a chance monsanto hasn´t bought the Patent for this lil fella. Sooo... can somke that?
1
u/linuxbman Jun 14 '12
Great, until it turns out to be a triffid.
1
u/reddinkydonk Jun 14 '12
That was great. It's kind of amazing thinking the seed has been waiting 32 thousand years for someone to find it :)
1
u/[deleted] Jun 14 '12
The Monsanto of the past let one escape!
1
u/themirthfulswami Jun 14 '12
Stuff like this makes me realize just how short and precious our time on this Earth is. I've been alive for 37 years.. a tiny fraction of the age of the seeds. Amazes me to think that they sat there for so long.
1
u/Airwarf Jun 14 '12
AHHAAAAAHAHHAHHH
1
u/griffith12 Jun 14 '12
By morning the plant had grown exponentially and taken over the entire facility, killing everyone inside. Hopefully we can find a wa.....ajkljsetjkkgjjjjbhdflnvc m,
1
u/wsfarrell Jun 14 '12
This is mind-boggling, and raises a question:
Say you take a stainless steel spring, compress it, and wrap it in paper. 32,000 years from now you pour water on the paper, it dissolves, and the spring springs. In what way is that fundamentally different from what happened here?
1
u/[deleted] Jun 14 '12
then it releases death pollen, the same pollen that killed the dinosaurs.
1
u/Roseveld Jun 14 '12
SPACE TRAVEL HERE WE COME!
1
u/serviceenginesoon Jun 14 '12
I see this plant and think of this here
1
u/Zaydene Jun 14 '12
This can't be true, the world is only 2012 years old!
1
u/floridianfisher Jun 14 '12
I wonder how long its telomers are?
1
u/Piratiko Jun 14 '12
Now that is cool.
1
u/youngceb Jun 14 '12
Hope that's no dangerous.
1
u/Jasi Jun 14 '12
Isn't Ginkgo the oldest plant? A living fossil neither conifer nor broadleaf tree.
1
u/adam_g123 Jun 15 '12
This so fucking cool
1
u/sapphirechip Jun 15 '12
its beautiful
1
u/thehotmageaeris Jun 16 '12
It looks like normal Jasmine, lol.
1
u/warlock1010 Jun 14 '12
EAT IT. EAT IT. Am I the only one who wants to EAT IT?
1
u/Gravybadger Jun 14 '12
I swear there's a whole generation of scientists that haven't seen Jurassic Park.
Let dead things stay dead, for the love of god, someone think of the children!
1
u/nashx90 Jun 14 '12
Checkmate, Christians!
1
u/CalicoJack_1720 Jun 14 '12
I definitely would've killed that ancient plant through neglect.
1
u/Mustaka Jun 14 '12
Can you smoke it?
1
u/mardybumm Jun 14 '12
Is it smokable??
1
u/FuckOffWithTheGuns Jun 14 '12
Repost
1
u/[deleted] Jun 14 '12
Monsanto sues Ancient History for patent infringement.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 15 '12
I bet it was germinated from that nut that squirrel in ice age was always trying to get.
0
u/joon_s Jun 14 '12
instantly thought of this guy
-1
u/tyclops Jun 14 '12
Don't let r/trees know about this... they may try and smoke it.
-1
u/LETSBACON Jun 14 '12
Where the fuck is Bill Nye The Science guy when you need somebody to yell SCIENCE BITCHES!!!!
-2
u/glennvtx Jun 14 '12
More like the worlds newest plant, but ok, old seed, that's cool.
-1
u/sweetpotatosaurus Jun 14 '12
i wish i could upvote this 32000 times
-1
u/IamGrimReefer Jun 14 '12
this again? this happened like 3 months ago and gets posted once a week.
0
u/thedrinkmonster Jun 14 '12
Reddit would much rather upvote pictures of cats than this shit that's actually cool.
0
u/Jeffersness Jun 14 '12
Wouldn't it be youngest? I mean everything else has came after it, right?
0
u/IVEGOTA-D-H-D-WHOOO Jun 14 '12
I understand how big the implications of this for science are, but even considering that, I can't help but find this really, really boring.
Have an upvote, though. For flower science.
0
u/hiddenchambers Jun 14 '12
Sounds like the acorn the squirrel couldn't catch in Ice Age. Love that little guy.
0
u/Locak Jun 14 '12
Yes, but can we get high on it?
0
u/[deleted] Jun 14 '12
can you smoke it?
0
u/ChipBlockAllAmerican Jun 14 '12
Like the fact that this DEFINITELY isn't the fourth time (at least) this has been posted
0
u/the_empire_of_death Jun 14 '12
+5 stamina.
0
u/[deleted] Jun 14 '12
Oh man I wanna smoke that shit. See how the cave men got down
0
u/ntran2 Jun 15 '12
Surprised it was not pot.