Germination, Genetics, and Growth of an Ancient Date Seed.

The article reports on the research conducted on the germination of a 1300-year old lotus seed found at the Dead Sea in Israel and Jordan. These seeds are discovered during the 1963-1965 excavations of Masada, an Herodian fortress overlooking the Dead Sea. Researchers planted the seeds in preparation in a quarantined site. After eight weeks, one seed germinated and its growth over 26 months demonstrated development similar to those of a normal date seedlings wherein it propagated from modern seeds except for the whitish patchers on early leaves, manifesting lack of chlorophyll and deficiency of essential nutrients during the initial phases of germination. Discussed are the details of the experiment.