Two years ago, researchers led by a Texas A&M University professor have discovered coral beds off the coast of Hawaii that are more than 4,200 years old, making them among the oldest living creatures on Earth. Two different species of coral beds were documented during that time using carbon dating methods, One species –Leiopathes , is now confirmed to be about 4,265 years old, while the other species, Gerardia, is believed to be about 2,742 years old.
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And now, new entries of living thing revealed. PERTH, Australia- Professor Carlos Duarte of the University of Western Australia in Perth have discovered giant patches of sea grass in the Mediterranean Sea that are thought to be up to 200,000-years-old. Scientists determined the age of the seaweed patches using DNA sequencing. They called it “Posidonia oceanica” and showed that it ranged from 12,000 years to 200,000 years old, with most likely being around 100,000 years old.
“If climate change continues, the outlook for this species is very bad”. “The seagrass in the Mediterranean is already in clear decline due to shoreline construction and declining water quality and this decline has been exacerbated by climate change” says Duarte to Telegraph.
