Date palm buds after 2,000 years
Israeli researchers say they have succeeded in growing a date palm from a 2,000-year-old seed. The seed was one of several found during an excavation of the ancient mountain fortress of Masada. Scientists working on the project believe it is the oldest seed ever germinated.
Darwin would have loved this story: he spent years experimenting on seeds to see if they managed to survive in all sorts of hostile conditions—sea water, birds' stomachs, etc.—all to establish how plants might colonise new environments.