The ancient Judean date palm tree last seen in 500 A.D., is being grown again from seeds sealed in an ancient clay jar.
In the movie Jurassic Park, extinct dinosaurs return to life with the help of fossilized DNA in mosquito blood. Similarly, the ancient Judean date palm tree last seen around 500 A.D., is being grown again from seeds sealed in an ancient clay jar.
In the 1960s, archaeologists dug up the jar in what was Herod the Great’s palace in Israel. For 40 years, the seeds were stashed away in a university. Until a researcher planted one to see what would happen. Shockingly, it sprouted into a sapling. Called “Methuselah,” the tree continues to grow today.
This particular staple crop was beloved in the kingdom of Judea and documented many times in the Old Testament as part of Biblical history. The tree even became symbolic for good fortune and King David’s daughter Tamar was named after the tree’s Hebrew name.
However, knowing what a prized possession the tree was to the Judeans, it was destroyed by invading armies and eventually wiped out.
If researchers succeed in regrowing this tree to its full life cycle, people will once again enjoy its sweet fruit; shade from the hot sun; and medicinal properties, which are said to be an aphrodisiac, laxative, and cancer cure.
