Ancient seed sprouts plant from the past

[Adsos Letter]

Source: Daily News & Economic Review
Kütahya: Radikal

A 4,000-year-old lentil seed found during an archeological excavation has germinated, exciting scientists as the event might lead to invaluable data for comparisons between the organic and genetically engineered plants of today. ‘It would be the first seed from very old times whose genes were never modified,’ say the scientists. A 4,000-year-old lentil seed unearthed in an archeological excavation has successfully sprouted after being planted.

Project leader and Dumlupınar University archeology faculty Professor Nejat Bilgen said they found the seeds during an excavation undertaken last year in Kütahya province.

Bilgen said a layer from the container in which they found the seeds was determined to be from the middle bronze age.

He said his team found many seeds, but most had been burnt, adding that they had failed to make the others turn green before the recent success. The excavation team believes they found a silo because there were many other containers around.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=ancient-seed-came-into-leaf-2009-12-16

[tabatha]

1. Cool. Thanks.

[sharesunited]

2. Please remember to water it.

[REP]

3. That's pretty cool!

I've always wondered what food plants were like that our ancestors ate, if they were much different from modern ones.

[emilyg]

4. Very cool.

[eppur_se_muova]

5. Now can we find a silphium seed? nt

[enlightenment]

8. That would be interesting . . . nt

[tridim]

6. Two green thumbs way up!

Life is one tough cookie.

[yodermon]

7. Expect Monsanto to sue it.