Citation
Bristlecone pine, oldest known living thing
TL;DR
Documented 4,800+ year old living trees
Original discovery documentation of 4,800+ year old bristlecone pines in the White Mountains of California. Schulman's discovery revolutionized understanding of tree longevity and dendrochronology (tree-ring dating).
The bristlecone pine serves as the chapter's central metaphor for temporal buffering - organisms that survive by living long enough to average across multiple climate cycles rather than optimizing for any single cycle phase.
Key Findings from Schulman (1958)
- Documented 4,800+ year old living trees
- Established White Mountains bristlecone pines as oldest known living organisms
- Tree rings record climate history spanning millennia