Despite debate, even the world's oldest trees are not immortal:
The oldest trees on Earth have stood for nearly five millennia, and researchers have long wondered to what extent these ancient organisms undergo senescence, physically deteriorating as they age. A recent paper studying ginkgoes, one of the world's longest-lived trees, even found that they may be able to "escape senescence at the whole-plant level," raising questions about the apparent lack of aging in centuries-old trees. However, in a Forum publishing July 27 in the journal Trends in Plant Science, plant biologist Sergi Munné-Bosch argues that although signs of senescence in long-lived trees may be almost imperceptible to people, this does not mean that they're immortal.
[...] Despite trees' well-evolved methods of prolonging the aging process, research has shown that they still undergo physiological stress associated with senescence. "They have limits," says Munné-Bosch. "There are physical and mechanical constraints that limit their ability to live indefinitely."
However, due to the difficulty of conducting research on trees with such long lifespans, little is known about what the process of senescence looks like. Simply finding enough millennial trees to study can be challenging. "When a species of tree can live for five millennia, it's very difficult to find even two trees that are between two and five millennia," says Munné-Bosch. For these long-lived trees, dying of senescence is a possibility, but the probability of dying from other causes is significantly higher. "They don't have to worry about senescence because they have other things that worry them more," he says.
Journal Reference:
Li Wang, Jiawen Cui, Biao Jin, et al. Multifeature analyses of vascular cambial cells reveal longevity mechanisms in old Ginkgo biloba trees [open], Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1916548117)
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 28 2020, @08:00PM (4 children)
They find a 5000 year old tree, they cut it down, and they claim it isn't immortal. It's disgusting what passes for science these days.
(Score: 3, Funny) by looorg on Tuesday July 28 2020, @08:50PM
Makes perfect sense, have you not seen the documentary Highlander? You have to cut them down to absorb their life force.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 28 2020, @09:00PM (2 children)
Says the person eating from his wooden table off his wooden chair.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 28 2020, @11:34PM (1 child)
Comparing a 15 year old pine to a 5000 year old ginko
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 29 2020, @07:58PM
Where's yer Bristlecone Pine?
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 28 2020, @09:28PM (4 children)
Even planets, stars, and our universe itself have "other things that worry them"; discussing absolute immortality is totally pointless, considering.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 28 2020, @11:35PM (3 children)
But it is the well known obsession of some SoylentNews ed, evidenced by all the life-extension and "I don't wanna die!" articles we keep getting. I suspect it has something to do with Peter Thiel, Silicon Valley Vampire. (If you can't live forever, being "undead" forever is the second best alternative.)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 28 2020, @11:38PM
https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/steven_wright_104816 [brainyquote.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 29 2020, @12:00AM
Vampires thought they were on to something. :)
But new research seems to suggest they were wrong after all; the problem with the old blood is demonstrated to be remediable without any young one, a plain saline-albumin solution was sufficient:
https://news.berkeley.edu/2020/06/15/diluting-blood-plasma-rejuvenates-tissue-reverses-aging-in-mice/ [berkeley.edu]
If that result is not an experimental mistake, it means some practical aging-reversal is, well, practical right now.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 31 2020, @06:47PM
I've noticed a lot more "I don't wanna die" articles in the last 4 years, since about Nov 2016.
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Wednesday July 29 2020, @12:01AM (1 child)
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 29 2020, @12:26AM
>
Pando is currently thought to be dying. Though the exact reasons are not known, it is thought to be a combination of factors including drought, grazing, human development, and fire suppression
In other words humans
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pando_(tree) [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 29 2020, @08:22AM (1 child)
The only trees I know of that worry are counting pines
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 29 2020, @10:02PM
No Whomping Willows, or Weeping Cypress?