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What's the Oldest Thing Alive Today?


Claire.

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What's the Oldest Thing Alive Today?

The oldest living thing on Earth today is … well, it's controversial.

Let's back up. Figuring out the oldest thing alive requires defining "alive." That's not as easy as it might seem. If you want to be strict about finding the oldest living thing, you have to look for organisms that have been alive and active for their entire life spans — continuously metabolizing. A less rigid definition might allow for seeds or bacteria that have been dormant for ages but that can be revived. (Is a seed alive? Hmm…)

You also have to define what qualifies as an organism. Maybe you want to be stringent about it and limit your search to ancient individuals. Alternatively, you could count clonal organisms, like certain plants or fungal colonies. Those are made up of relatively young offshoots, but these are part of a continuously living being.

If it hasn't become obvious yet, this article isn't going to provide you with an address for the delivery of the world's most fiery birthday cake. It will, however, nominate some viable candidates for the oldest living thing on Earth.

Read more: Live Science

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3 things that will survive a nuclear holocaust? cockroaches, jellyfish and Kieth Richards

its a lie he was born in 1943, it was 1822 and hes the oldest human

 

30RICHARDS1-master1050.jpg

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