Scientists revive 1,000-year-old seed from cave near Jerusalem, possibly resurrecting mysterious tree mentioned in the Bible



Scientists have revived a mysterious seed found in a cave near Jerusalem. Researchers say the seed is approximately 1,000 years old and may sprout a long-lost tree mentioned in the Bible.

In the mid-1980s, archaeologists excavated a cave in the lower Wadi el-Makkuk region north of Jerusalem. Inside the cave alongside a 26-foot cliff were Roman-era beads, woven ropes, and about a dozen ancient seeds — primarily for fruit-bearing date palms Phoenix dactylifera and Balanitis aegyptiaca, according to the Daily Mail.However, there was a 0.8-inch seed that intrigued scientists.

'It’s been hugely exciting. It’s bringing something back to life from 1,000 years ago.'

Radiocarbon dating has estimated that the seed's date of origin is somewhere between A.D. 993 and A.D. 1202.

Researchers believe the seed was brought into the cave by an animal.

"We don't think it was brought by a human. The cave was a burial site and not inhabited," Dr. Sarah Sallon of Hadassah University Medical Center told the Jerusalem Post.

Sallon noted that there were signs that the cave had been looted by grave robbers.

The seed — nicknamed "Sheba" — was planted in 2010. Five weeks later, a seedling emerged. Once the plant had bark, it yielded resin.

Scientists say Sheba is a species of Commiphora — part of the frankincense and myrrh family (Burseraceae) — that comprises roughly 200 living plant species.

Commiphora plants are mainly found across Africa, Madagascar, and the Arabian Peninsula.

Sheba can not be botanically named until it produces flowers and more is known about its physical structure, said Sallon.

Sheba has yielded enough mature leafy material for chemical and genetic analysis.

"The identity of biblical 'tsori' (translated in English as 'balm') has long been open to debate," the researchers wrote in the study published this month in Communications Biology.

Biblical "tsori" is a medicinal extract with healing abilities mentioned in the books of Genesis, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. The Bible refers to the healing resin in the historical region of Gilead, located on the east bank of the Jordan River between the Yarmuk River and the northern end of the Dead Sea — in what is today Jordan.

Sallon and her co-authors say there is a possibility that Sheba is a "Judean balsam" or "balm of Judea," a now-extinct tree species that existed in the Southern Levant, a region comprising modern-day Israel, Palestine, and Jordan.

The Judean balsam was prized for its exquisite perfume and medicinal qualities in ancient times.

"The most valuable export of ancient Judea (modern-day Israel and Palestine) and described extensively by writers in antiquity, Judean Balsam, was highly prized for its fragrant aromatic resin 'opobalsamum' (Gk: 'sap of balsamon') and its many economic uses," the researchers wrote.

The Judean balsam (Commiphora gileadensis) disappeared from the region by the ninth century.

Sallon said, "I sent samples (leaves, bark resin, and more) to Dr. Gavin Flamatti at the University of Western Australia, who is an expert on identifying fragrant compounds released by burning. No fragrant aromatic compounds were released, but they did find an abundance of very medicinal substances."

Live Science reported, "Chemical analysis of Sheba's leaves and resin revealed the tree is rich in pentacyclic triterpenoids, which are biologically active compounds with anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties."

The researchers said phytochemical analysis of Sheba’s leaves and resin identified compounds associated with "wound healing and anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, antiviral, and anti-tumoral activity."

"Using results of DNA sequencing, phylogenetic and phytochemical analysis in conjunction with historical and archaeological source material and phytogeographic data, we suggest 'Sheba' may represent an extinct (or at least extirpated) species of Commiphora, once native to the region, whose resinous extract 'tsori' (Hebrew: flow/drip) mentioned in biblical texts, was considered a valuable substance associated with healing but not described in these sources as fragrant," the paper states.

Additional research is still needed to confirm whether Sheba is a Judean balsam.

Sallon said, “It’s been hugely exciting. It’s bringing something back to life from 1,000 years ago.”

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Korean carmakers eye future; can USA compete?



Busan is the cleanest city I've ever seen: not a cigarette butt or gum wrapper on the ground. No garbage pails either. I'm told that if people see litter on the ground, they pick it up and put it in their pocket until they can throw it away.

Last month, I was in Korea's second-largest city for the 2024 Busan International Motor Show, which has been held biennially since 2001. Starting this year, it has a new name: the Busan International Mobility Show, which better reflects the wider range of transportation innovation it hopes to showcase.

[Hyundai] has built every vehicle it makes to be either hybrid, gas, or electric. The company was smart enough to say, 'Let's make this like Lego: same body, different drive line underneath.'

I didn't see any flying cars, but my visit did give me the chance to reflect on the rise of the Korean automobile industry in the last two decades.

Korean cars have been in the United States market since 1986, with the Hyundai Excel. That car was a huge hit with American consumers, but quality issues over the long run gave it and other Hyundai models a bad reputation.

In 1998, Hyundai decided to change its poor reputation abroad by making massive investments in design, quality, and marketing.

It looked at how the Japanese were offering packaged trim levels and did the same.

It also looked at the typical U.S. three-year, 32,000-mile warranty and decided to more than triple that: 10 years, 100,000 miles, including basic maintenance. To this day, no other manufacturers have tried to compete on warranty. The Germans have extended their warranties to four years, 50,000 miles, which hasn't kept Hyundai from taking a big chunk of their market.

Hyundai also began manufacturing in America. It 2005, it opened a factory in Montgomery, Alabama; followed by a Kia factory (Hyundai has been Kia's parent company since 1997) in West Point, Georgia, in 2010. The latter expects to roll its five millionth car off the assembly line sometime in 2025.

Last year Hyundai's luxury brand Genesis began producing the Electrified GV70 SUV in the Montgomery plant, the first Genesis model to be manufactured in America.

I spoke to Hyundai head Jay Chang about their EV strategy. While vehicles the Kia EV9 have gotten a lot of acclaim, I asked him point blank what happens if the market for EVs collapses? His answer was simple: we'll make electric vehicles if people want them.

Unlike us, Hyundai doesn't have an EV mandate; moreover, it's realized electric cars aren't the answer. So instead of going all in, it's built every vehicle it makes to be either hybrid, gas, or electric. The company was smart enough to say, "Let's make this like Lego: same body, different drive line underneath."

And now that the Genesis line is competing with luxury vehicles Lexus and Mercedes, it's beginning to go after the performance market — vehicles like BMW's M series and Audi RS — with its Magma line. I spoke a little with Hyundai Motor Group president and chief creative officer Luc Donckerwolke about this, and the company has assembled some top-notch talent, including veteran Porsche engineer Manfred Harrer as well as BMW veteran (and recent Hyundai head of R&D) Albert Biermann.

While in Korea I was also able to visit Ulsan and tour the largest car factory in the world. No cameras allowed, unfortunately, but I did watch as vehicles were loaded onto a ship with unbelievable grace and precision: It was like one big musical number. They loaded 12 floors of cars (over 10,000 vehicles in all) in six hours.

It's important to note here that not only is Hyundai half-owned by the Korean government, but it's very well vertically integrated. Hyundai owns a steel company as well as a chip company — the latter, MegaChip, gave Hyundai a huge advantage during the supply-chain crisis.

See below for some of my video from the 2024 Busan International Mobility Show:

- YouTube www.youtube.com

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