JERUSALEM — Israeli researchers who grew a sapling from a date seed found at the ancient fortress Masada said on Thursday the seed was about 2,000 years old and may help restore a species of biblical trees. Carbon dating confirmed that the seed — named Methuselah after the oldest person in the bible — was the oldest ever brought back to life, Sarah Sallon, a researcher at the Hadassah Medical Centre in Jerusalem, reported in the journal Science. The seed came from the Judean date palm, a species that once flourished in the Jordan River Valley and has been extinct for centuries, Sallon said. It was one of a group discovered at Masada, a winter palace overlooking the Dead Sea built by King Herod in the 1st century BC. The fortress was used by hundreds of Jewish insurgents in a revolt against Roman rule that erupted in 67 AD. ‘It has survived and flourished,’ Sallon said. Previous attempts to grow plants from ancient seeds failed after a few days. Since the seed was first germinated a few years ago, Sallon said there had been some doubt whether it was really 2,000 years old, like the […]