After 2,000 Years, a Seed From Ancient Judea Sprouts
This belongs in the “WOW” section of science if you ask me. Israeli doctors and scientists have succeeded in germinating a date seed that’s nearly 2000 years old. The plant is currently 11.8 inches tall and has produced seven leaves. Radiocarbon dating on the seed showed it to be 1990 years old plus or minus 50 years. That places the seed at around 35BC to AD65. What’s so special about the date seed? Here’s a quote from the NYTimes article:
The date palm symbolized ancient Israel; the honey of “the land of milk and honey” came from the date. It is praised as a tonic to increase longevity, as a laxative, as a cure for infections and as an aphrodisiac, Dr. Sallon said. But the dates of Judea were destroyed before the Middle Ages, and what dates Israel grows now were imported in the 1950’s and 60’s from California and originated elsewhere in the Middle East.
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