Ancient Plants Among Us!

But it's not the first time that ancient seeds have sprung to life. Last year, botanist Elaine Solowey surprised herself by growing a seedling from the 2,000 year old seeds of a date palm that were found 30 years earlier on Mount Masada near the Dead Sea. There were only three seeds and because of their age, they were soaked in warm water and treated with gibberellic acid to increase their chance of developing. Before they were planted, Solowey also added a rooting hormone and an enzyme-rich fertilizer to the soil, but she was still surprised when a shoot sprouted five weeks later.

Ancient lotus seeds have also been known to grow into plants. In 2002, scientists from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) germinated 500 year-old lotus seeds, but the plants all developed abnormally. Their leaves were small, crooked and not the typical colour expected from a lotus plant and their root stems were also stunted.

Since the seeds had been found in soil, the researchers attributed this to prolonged exposure to radiation. All soils contain low levels of radioactivity that typically don't affect seeds, but after being exposed to it for hundreds of years, its effect could have built up. Seeds exposed to radiation in experiments often develop in a similar way to these ancient lotus seeds.

But the fact that any of these seeds developed at all is truly amazing and a test to the hardiness of nature. For scientists, it is also incredible to be able to take this step back in time. Analyzing the genome of these plants and comparing it to that of similar plants that exist today will provide clues into how they evolved. Old stories about the date palm having medicinal properties will be able to be tested. Perhaps it will even allow us to better understand how plants grow today and what they can withstand, allowing us to speculate on the future of our crops.

For more info:

The Guardian - Botanists grow plants from seeds gathered 200 years ago
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/story/0,,1876414,00.html

BBC News - Seeds 200 years old breathe again
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/5361396.stm