Science Articles & Cool Facts
Trees live much longer than any other type of plant or animal. In fact it’s possible to know the age of a tree by counting the rings in its trunk (One ring generally equates to one year).
The oldest living tree and hence one of the oldest known living things on Earth is a bristlecone pine tree located in California, North America, it’s actually over 4600 years old, now thats old.
Actually the cheocote bush found in the Mojave, Sonora and Chihuahua deserts routinly lives thousands of years. The oldest known cheocote bush is about 11,000 years old.
Yes, some rocks grow and caves are one of the few places you can see it happen. Of course, rocks do not grow like you do and they get bigger over thousands of years. You could watch all day and notThe rocks that grow in the cave are made by dripping water. This dripping water started out as rain that fell on the surface. Imagine that the limestone layers above the cave are a like giant sponge that soaks up water from rain and melting snow. As the water goes through holes and cracks in the rock it slowly dissolves a mineral out of the limestone called CALCIUM CARBONATE. If you have ever made lemonade you have seen how water can dissolve sugar. Well over time water can dissolve away rocks and minerals too. Calcium Carbonate is a very common mineral on earth because it is found in so many things like sea shells, limestone, the growing cave rocks and even your bones and teeth. Well, this Calcium Carbonate stays in the water until the water drips into the cave. At that point any place where water drips a tiny amount of Calcium Carbonate comes out of the water and crystallizes into a rock called CALCITE. As more water drips in the cave, more Calcite is formed and so new rocks start and the older ones keep growing. These growing cave rocks are often called CAVE DEPOSITES because they are made of layer apon layer of Calcite that the water deposited. see any growth.
u r a moron JAMES rocks do not breathe but hey they do grow….
Brandon you are retarded. Coral is an animal. Therefore its living. Dude im 10 and I know that. Hate to burst your bubble. Rocks arent alive. Coral is
wow thats old, real old
I`m thinking most of you are missing the question here…..The question is, “What is the oldest living thing on the earth”…….As in, from birth to date….so to speak…..So the oldest living thing which started it`s life over 4600 years ago and is still alive is the bristlecone pine tree …..Thank You
thats old. nice
If this were a search for the Dumbest Living Thing on earth, most of the people posting here would be near the top of the list. Dumb as a rock, indeed. “And Still Alive” is the qualifier.
But, at least they are reading…maybe they have a chance. Now, if we could only teach them English…
Offense intended, definitely. Please notice that I managed to spell “definitely” correctly. Seriously, kids. The comment box even has spell check, and you STILL manage to screw it up. SAD!
And, just to sew it up, even though the molecules of rocks are still moving (albeit SLOWLY), I personally believe that the act of breathing, aerobically or other wise, is still a pretty fair indication of “alive”.
I think the bigger question is how you define “living.” If you compare a plant and an animal, do they have the same qualities that make them alive? What is common in all objects, whether “living” or “lifeless?” Are we all part of a larger organizism, the “earth,” the “solar system,” or even the “universe?”
Wow! OLD tree
The oldest living thing on earth is 12,000 years old. It is the flowering shrubs called creosote bushes in the Mojave Desert.
There is a bacteria said to be 250 million years old but who cares… u cant even see that… this tree is magnificent and hey it may look dead but so do old people once they hit 100.. they no longer blossom
but there still alive… god bless this tree.. and may it live as long as possible before its turned into a dining room table then someone will have the oldest dining room table in the world 
lucrative
In order for something to be “alive”, it needs to meet 4 qualifications.
1. Reproduction
2. Response/reaction to environment
3. Metabolism
4. Growth
Like a virus, it is not alive because it has no reproductive system, and yet some viruses are older than the pyramids. No offense rocks are non-living and the coral reef was alive but the coral that is thousands of years old is dead, the living coral only has a life span of 2-3 years and then the exoskeleton is the only thing left after it dies. And yes, the creosote is ONE of the oldest living organisms on the planet but this article is on the oldest TREE in the world, not plant or animal… or non-living rock.
The rock topic is silly.
Yes the species that keeps reproducing (bacteria, mosquitos, and coral reefs) may be old, but they are talking about the single organism like this particular bristlecone pine tree.
i actually don’t want to be a tree as i’ll suffer phenomena’s
Does somebody sayas that rocks live? They do not live and they are not living thing(LT).
Quesion:How do I know that rocks do not live?
Answer:Rocks don’t have the compleste characteristics of all living things.
1.do they move all by itself? (NO) …they are moving because of aother things…
2.do they reproduct? (NO)
3.are they sensitive? (YES)
4.do they grow? (NO)
5.do they eat? (NO)
6.do they support them selves? (YES but sometimes)
7.do they have cells? (NO)
8.do they axchange gas or do they breathe?
9.do they move waste? (NO)
Too many eager beavers wanting to chastise someone and show they have better intellect than someone else. (And here I am, happy to join the group)
I think he does not actually mean ROCKS breathe. Put the two facts together and he might be implying living things that look like a rock. And I think he’s either referring to sea sponges or corals, which could live up to thousands of years, and ONE of the oldest living things on the planet, but not THE oldest. (I’m putting my bet on frozen bacteria or some other primitive creature, and hey, random fact, some JELLYFISH are IMMORTAL)
ROCKS do GROW. But they are not alive. This happens either by accretion, or some other process of sedimentation, and absorbing moisture.
THIS TREE IS NAMED METHUSELAH.IT IS THE NAME OF THE OLDEST MAN IN THE CHRISTIAN BIBLE.HE LIVED OVER 960 YEARS.HE IS OLDER THAN NOAH BECAUSE HE IS ONLY 950 YEARS WHEN HE REACHED DEATH.