'Oldest living thing on earth' discovered in Chile

Scientists in Chile say they've discovered what could be the oldest living thing on earth.
The cypress tree in Patagonia, nicknamed "great-grandfather", is estimated to be more than 5,000 years old.
Al Jazeera's Lucia Newman reports from the Los Lagos region in Chile.

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[StuffandThings_]

Chile never seems to get the respect it deserves for preserving its forests - temperate rainforests, no less, which tend to be felled quite enthusiastically. Some day I'd love to visit the Valdivian temperate rainforests, such a strange and wonderful landscape of ancient species, very old trees, and odd plants. Here in the Pacific Northwest, they cut down almost all the giant Douglas firs, including the largest tree ever reliably measured (the Nooksack Giant). They're still felling 1000+ year old cedars on Vancouver Island...

[nebtheweb]

If this tree is 5, 484 years old, that means that Otzi the iceman, who is 5, 300 years old, was born when this tree was 184 years on the planet already.

[SamuelHiti]

Keep the park closed. Tourism will ruin and destroy it!

[davewilson]

Whether or not it is 5500 years old or not, we are looking at a living being that has lived hundreds of our lifetimes and that is amazing.

[MarlaBlair-yszu]

Close the park permanently and make videos of the interesting features and the giant trees. People can watch them in the visitors center. Keep the feet and vandals away from the trees and fragile environment.

[katabeatriz.bp.]

I've visited this park twice, everytime I got to see the "abuelo" it's just magnificent. The tree is so big and wonderfull. Speechless.

[zsong]

I believe it to be of the utmost importance that preserve all the remaining old-growth forests that are left. It is insane that we don't.

[smr_]

The fact that that tree has been around for most of human civilization is fantastic.

[sharkbark]

I remember these forests used to be a part of the tropical Antarctica before breaking off from south America. Its actually really cool that you get to see what Antarctica's forests used to look like before freezing.

[CookChad]

there's another old tree located in crete greece estimated about 4.000 to 5.000 years old still producing olives there are several olive trees that are really old in our island

[ldawg]

The fact that this has been around since roughly 1000 years before the pyramids is utterly mind blowing.
Edit: HOLY Sh*t! I know!! They could be older! I watch documentaries too.. I just made a generalized statement, admiring the age of the tree..

[Loweredexpectationss]

When I was little, we spent a lot of time on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains here in Alberta, Canada.
I used to avoid walking on the pine trees roots as I decided that they were the trees feet and that I, personally, wouldn’t want someone coming into my home to step on my feet lol
To this day, I STILL walk around these big ol’ exposed roots within the forest.
Funny how some things can stick with ya when ya get older.
I would love to meet old G’pa in Chile.
Imagine the stories he could tell if ya just shut up long enough to listen.

[amberandrews]

Beautiful tree. Beautiful forest. I hope they continue to respect and care for it! 🥰🥰🥰

[sbdiaries]

It's really great 👍 to hear that this beautiful old tree 🌳 has been standing here for so long.
Let's hope it continues to live a long life 🙏 🌳👍.
Greetings from England 🇬🇧 Simon and Beth ❤❤❤❤

[treefarm]

Put a fence around it and keep the exact location secret. This was done with the Wollomi pines in NSW, Australia, and did protect them from humans.

[josephsmith]

Chile has some of the world's most beautiful landscapes

Please, just keep the location of this tree secret, and even keep the conservatory closed too to the public. I think by now we have established there are enough greedy machete-wielding madmen roaming about who think nothing of hacking ancient trees up all in the name of profit.
Even if it isn't the very oldest tree it deserves to be protected and kept safe from humans who don't see its wonder and majesty and who would rather hack it down to make a piece of furniture.

[johnklaus]

Anything over 1000 years old, you are looking in the wrong place.

Those roots are truly beautiful. DO NOT TOUCH THE ROOTS.

[dandaniels]

Only a youngster compared to the 10, 000 year old Huon Pine still alive and well in Tasmania. I first saw it 30 years ago, and it is a closely guarded secret now to keep the public far away from it.

[noblefir]

It totally agree that protecting the small scraps of ancient forest that remain, compared to historic coverage, around the world is cruical.