Immortal Palm Trees

            

Palm trees are being studied to understand the biological ability of vitality.  Plant and animal differ much on how their aging process works because of the difference in function in the two kingdoms but can still gather information on the ability for cells remain vital for long periods of time.  They linked lifespan to the amount of the time cells in an organism can remain metabolically active instead of a genetic code.  This makes it possible for plants to live longer than animals because plants do not grow fixed organs but rather constantly grow repairing damaged organs with new cells.  Fixed function ability of animal organs like the kidneys, stomach, or liver cause them to deteriorate as the cells lose function and not repair themselves.  Unlike all other long living trees palm trees cells remain all living and functioning its entire lifespan.  Most Palm trees live over 100 years but some can live as long as 700 and the cells remain alive the entire lifespan. Most pine trees and such inner cells die off creating a skeletal backbone for the tree.  The palm trees key to cell health is the vascularity of the plant that allows the old cells to new cells top to bottom interact and easily provide the entire plant with water and nutrients.  There is even metabolic activity in the plants root, bark, and starch that would normally be just storage cells.  The difference in cell metabolism in palm trees shows the importance of cell health in total health as the most important thing in keeping life living.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121219092842.htm