Researchers have successfully brought back to life a mysterious seed discovered in a cave in the Judean Desert during the 1980s, radiocarbon dated to more than 1,000 years old! To add to the intrigue, DNA analysis links it to a genus of tree that, although now extinct, is mentioned in the Bible. Named ‘Sheba’, scientists believe it to be a remnant of a now-extinct population of trees that once thrived in the Southern Levant, a region that includes present-day Israel, Palestine, and Jordan.
The sapling grown from the seed, planted around 14 years ago. (Guy Eisner)
Sheba: A Distinct Smell, A Distinct Species
Sheba has been classified as part of the Commiphora genus, which belongs to the Frankincense and Myrrh family (Burseraceae). Over the past 14 years, Sheba has grown into a tree nearly 3 meters (10 feet) tall, allowing scientists to finally analyze its features. Today, this family includes about 200 known species.
Commiphora trees are primarily found in Africa, Madagascar, and the Arabian Peninsula, where they have long been valued for their aromatic gum resins and other ethnobotanical uses, reveals the study published in Communications Biology.
The seed that produced Sheba was dated to between 993 and 1202 AD. While DNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis confirmed that Sheba is closely related to other trees in the Commiphora genus, it stands apart as a distinct species. Its closest relatives are Commiphora angolensis, C. neglecta, and C. tenuipetiolata.
Left) ancient seed prior…
