HOUSTON (AP) _ A research team led by a Texas A&M University scientist says a species of coral found off the coast of Hawaii is more than 42 centuries old.
That makes it among the oldest continuously living organisms on the planet.
Professor Brendan Roark says a coral bed in about 1,200 feet of water studied by researchers in submersible vehicles included the species Leiopathes. Carbon dating technology has put at 4,265 years old.
That age rivals the nearly 5,000-year-old bristlecone pine trees growing in the mountains of Northern California as among nature’s longest-living continuously growing organisms.
The results of the A&M team’s work are published in the current “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.”