Stromatolites are the oldest living things we can see or touch. (There are probably older subterranean and deep sea bacterial colonies and rock-based bacterial coloniesthat that are older but difficult to age.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stromatolite
I have seen these at Jurien Bay and they have them at Hamelin Pool Shark Bay, Western Australia also.
Some fossilised ones date back to 3,500 Million years ago. There are individuals estimated at hundreds of thousands of years old. Smaller ones are mere tens of thousands of years old.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamelin_Pool_Marine_Nature_Reserve
(GPS Coordinates supplied on Wikipedia for nathanst.)
@QuinbyFisher: Stromatolites are pretty darn interesting, and are on my list -- though I'm not actually convinced they are a single living organism. Nothing against clones (some of my best photos are of clones; ), but my understanding of Stromatolites is that they are comprised of many different types of microorganisms, as well as different types of sediment (rock, sand, etc.) While they are an absolutely fascinating record -- and a beautiful biological palimpsest -- I would be hard pressed to put them in the same category as the clonal aspen, for instance, which is a clear example of a single, self-propagating organism, or the clonal bacteria, which is a mass of genetically identical material.
On a related note. Did I read about a giant mushroom like thing that lived underground in several states in the Northeast? Or was I eating the wrong mushrooms, again?
does a clonal population really count as old? i mean, the genes have been around for however many thousand years, but the individual plant may only be a couple of hundred.
@ninjajazza: I am with you on this. If you clone me and then kill me, I am still dead and the clone is still young. If they are all still attached by rhizomes or something then I guess that would be a tough call, but if they stand completely on their own I would call that a single organism.
@Experiment626: Well if they start contradicting our politicians by correcting their misappropriation of history then yes, we will bomb them to hell. But for now their silent majesty is safe.
09/30/09
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stromatolite
I have seen these at Jurien Bay and they have them at Hamelin Pool Shark Bay, Western Australia also.
Some fossilised ones date back to 3,500 Million years ago. There are individuals estimated at hundreds of thousands of years old. Smaller ones are mere tens of thousands of years old.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamelin_Pool_Marine_Nature_Reserve
(GPS Coordinates supplied on Wikipedia for nathanst.)
http://pilbara.mq.edu.au/wiki/Stromatolites
Other exist in the Bahamas, Brazil and Turkey.
Enjoy!
PeterSW
09/30/09
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09/30/09
Don't tempt me.
09/30/09
Any GPS coordinates on these wonders of the ancient world?? It's for science, I promise!
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Kill Me Now !!!
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Friend of mine ate not-shrooms thinking he was getting an easy trip. Explaining that to hospital staff was fun...
09/30/09
#@!
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Besides, everybody has a photo of redwoods.
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