Back From The Brink?

Just too strange:

ISRAELI researchers who grew a sapling from a date seed found at the ancient fortress Masada said today the seed was about 2000 years old and may help restore a species of biblical trees.

Carbon dating confirmed that the seed - named Methuselah after the oldest person in the bible - was the oldest ever brought back to life, Sarah Sallon, a researcher at the Hadassah Medical Centre in Jerusalem, reported in the journal Science.

The seed came from the Judean date palm, a species that once flourished in the Jordan River Valley and has been extinct for centuries, Sallon said. It was one of a group discovered at Masada, a winter palace overlooking the Dead Sea built by King Herod in the 1st century BC.

The fortress was used by hundreds of Jewish insurgents in a revolt against Roman rule that erupted in 67 AD.

"It has survived and flourished," Ms Sallon said. Previous attempts to grow plants from ancient seeds failed after a few days.