...The location of the oldest tree in the forest, "Methuselah", said to be over 5,000 years old, is kept secret in order to protect it. It follows an incident in 1964 when another tree, "Prometheus," was cut down by a geologist.
The fact that the trees date back several millennia have also enabled scientists to make significant improvements in the field of dendrochronology, or the study of tree rings.
Regarded as the most reliable measure of dating, where one tree ring corresponds to one year, it has allowed scientist to re-calibrate the common carbon dating scale known as "Carbon 14."
Several historical doctrines, such as the notion that all civilization began in ancient Mesopotamia, have been invalidated as a result of the improvements to the scale based on studies of the bristlecone... [ full article ]
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