Categories: News

Date tree grown using 2,000-year-old seeds

Dr. Sarah Sallon planted 2,000-year-old seeds from date trees that used to thrive on the banks of the Dead Sea. Six weeks later, one tree grew, as Dan Charles reports for NPR. Sallon was inspired to plant them after hearing about ancient medicinal plants while working in India. This week, Sallon and her colleagues announced they’d grown another six trees from the ancient seeds. Once the female trees flower, Sallon hopes to fertilize them with pollen from the prettily named original tree, Methuselah. Then, they’ll wait for fruit to form: dates like the ones Jesus (allegedly) ate.

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