It sprang to life sometime
in the 3rd millennium, outliviving the kingdoms of ancient Egypt, it survived six of the
seven wonders of the ancient world, and it's older than Judaism. It survived 5,000 years (give or take a few hundred), and was cut down in 1964 by
Donald Currey, a graduate student in geography. He was studying the
Little Ice Age (prev), and he was looking for an old
Bristlecone pine in the White-Inyo mountain range of California (prev), as a record for climatic conditions from that period. As that tree, nicknamed
Prometheus, is no longer living, the record for
oldest tree goes to a tree from the same stand,
Methuselah. If trees aren't your thing, there are quite a few
long-living organisms of other sorts. For more fun and photos, join
Rachel Sussman on her journey to photograph them.
[more inside]
posted by filthy light thief
on May 4, 2010 -
43 comments
Come, take a
ride and
look at some of the
Islamic Art of the past. Or, you could call it
Art of the
Islamic World if you're so inclined. If not, then how about taking into account some of the
major milestones of
Islam throughout the
centuries, from
past till
present (
more examples here), including the
art of
Calligraphy and
Architecture. Not to mention the
Arab world's contribution to
music, both
old and
new. [
Previously mentioned,
here,
here,
here, and
here, with a
wonderful comment from
nickyskye as usual]
posted by hadjiboy
on May 29, 2008 -
28 comments
Why New Yorkers Last Longer. Interestingly, urban theorists believe it is not just the tightly packed nature of the city but also its social and economic density that has life-giving properties. When you’re jammed, sardinelike, up against your neighbors, it’s not hard to find a community of people who support you—friends or ethnic peers—and this strongly correlates with better health and a longer life. [New York Magazine article]
posted by nickyskye
on Aug 15, 2007 -
75 comments
The world's
oldest family companies start with a 1,400 year old
Japanese family business that has always built Buddhist temples. On the corporation side, only one of the
great chartered companies survives, Canada's Hudson Bay Company, founded in
1670, and now a large retailer, though there may be
much older corporations. There is even a club with an interesting web site,
Les Hénokien, for companies that are over 300 years old. If companies aren't your thing, there is always the world's
oldest restaurant in Spain.
posted by blahblahblah
on Sep 28, 2005 -
24 comments
How To Live Forever: More research suggests that there is no such thing as aging, and reminds me of that quote from the Barbarian Brothers, "there is no such thing as overtraining, there is only undereating and undersleeping." As opposed to
Timothy 8. Also, I
LOVE the
HNRCA database. Get yer
mutli people, get it!
posted by ewkpates
on Aug 10, 2005 -
45 comments
What is SENS? It stands for Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence.
Confused? Aubrey de Grey believes that it is possible. His research has been in the
news
recently.
De Grey is the co-founder of the
The Methuselah Foundation, and they are offering a
prize to anyone who can demonstrate
healthy life extension in mice. More information at
The Longevity Meme and
Better Humans, among
others.
He recently spoke in
Edmonton. Is it just me, or does he remind anyone else of a cult leader? There is something that strikes me about the way his writing sounds.
The idea of anti-ageing treatment was convincingly suggested by Kim Stanley Robinson in his
Mars Trilogy, which also addressed its potential social consequences, such as overpopulation and longevity as an option exclusively for the wealthy elite.
posted by dazedandconfused
on Feb 16, 2005 -
12 comments
How long til you buy the farm? • "The
Living to 100 Life Expectancy Calculator© was designed to translate what we have learned from studies of centenarians and other longevity research into a practical and empowering tool for individuals to estimate their longevity potential."
Wasn't this on a Futurama episode?
posted by dhoyt
on Sep 8, 2004 -
29 comments
Hurrah! Everyone shout hurray and hurrah for the good health of her Queen Mumness.
posted by Summer
on Sep 9, 2001 -
22 comments
higher IQ = longer life span A study in the British Medical Journal shows a link between IQ and longevity. 2200 children were tracked from childhood to the age of 76. A 15-point disadvantage in IQ meant the child was only 79% as likely to be alive at 76. A 30-point disadvantage reduced the odds to 63%.
*link found at darwin awards
posted by bwg
on Jul 27, 2001 -
12 comments
