Scientists Sprouted 2,000-Year-Old Date Palm Seeds to Study Their DNA
May 3, 2021
One of the date palms that was germinated from a 2,200 year old seed, now growing in Israel. (Credit: Sarah Sallon)
(CN) — A team of researchers in Abu Dhabi successfully germinated 2,000-year-old date palm seeds, yielding viable plants whose DNA they were able to sequence in a major feat of modern genomics.
Judean date palms, Phoenix dactylifera L. to be precise, are a previously extinct variety and the oldest plants germinated from seeds ever to undergo full genomic sequencing. By comparing its genome with those of modern varieties, the researchers were able to better understand how this species evolved over time. Despite the seeds’ advanced age, the authors didn’t find any significant mutations present in their DNA.
The international team comprised of researchers from the United States, Abu Dhabi, Israel and France wanted to find out exactly how these date palms adapted over the past 2,000 years. They planted 35 seeds that were excavated from archaeological sites in the southern Levant, of which seven successfully germinated — the oldest of which they named Methuselah. The team released their findings Monday in a new study published in the journal PNAS.
“Resurrection genomics is an alternative to ancient DNA approaches in studying the genetics and evolution of past and possibly extinct populations,” said the authors in their study. “By reviving biological material such as germinating ancient seeds from archaeological and paleontological sites, or historical collections, one can study genomes of lost populations.”
More:
https://www.courthousenews.com/scientists-sprouted-2000-year-old-date-palm-seeds-to-study-their-dna/
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Jurassic Park can't be far behind!!
