80,000 year-old tree colony in Utah – a new timescale is needed!

Despite the significant cultural and ideological diversity, humans share the same units of time measurement. Calendars have already been harmonized and we register different time-zones. In fact our time perception is facing huge challenges.

Thousands-year-old trees put the notion of lifespan in another perspective

Pando is an aspen clonal colony located in Utah and it is estimated at 80,000 years old. Each of the approximately 47,000 trees in the colony is genetically identical and they have a single root system. The individual trunks are actually stems of a large single clone and they live up to 100-150 years. Scientists are annoyed Pando might not be able to reproduce itself effectively as most of the trunks are relatively old while new shoots do not last long enough. The reasons are being investigated.

The common perception on human history keeps track of cc 2,500 years, while our long-term planning skills are allegedly limited to two generations. The reported oldest human building (which already meets the definition of building instead of monument or other occupation sites, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_oldest_buildings), a passage grave located in France, was built in cc 4,850 BC. The existence of a 80,000 year-old living organism should front humanity with their lightness. In contrast, the pejorative secondary meaning of the verb „to vegetate” demonstates how arrogant a species humans are.

Gravity changes time (gravitational time dilation)

Counting over the lifetime of the planet, a clock set at the top of Mount Everest would be cc 39 hours ahead of a clock set at sea level. Time between two events elapses differently as measured by observers situated at different distances from a gravitating mass. It means that clocks far from massive bodies run more quickly than clocks close to massive bodies. (This thesis is mainly based on the observation that gravitational fields affect the speed of light.)

It is dreadful to realise that we live in an environment the complexity of which surpasses our understanding. Several world concepts have already been abolished so the prevailing one is likely to be based on some false assumptions.

 

List of the oldest trees:

https://www.livescience.com/29152-oldest-tree-in-world.html