[mmercier]

Interesting to say the least.

I seem to remember 2,000 year old wheat or barley found in Egypt being successfully germinated in the 80's.

Who is to say, people still eat 8.000 year old mammoth flesh.. But only when they can.

[Hilltop]

Ahhh yes, I'll have the mammoth steak, twiced baked potato and the vegetable medley. Dry aged mammoth steak is certainly "to die for."

Oh, I would ask the wine stewards on FR, what would you recommend for the mammoth steak?

[NorseWood]

I think that there were grains taken out of the pyramids that were cultivated and sprouted. Fascinating!

[ApplegateRanch]

I seem to remember 2,000 year old wheat or barley found in Egypt being successfully germinated in the 80's.

Closer to home, there were also centuries old beans found in the Southwest at an Anasazi dig. They were sucessfully sprouted and propagated. The seed is even available commercially now.

However, the PC Times just couldn't leave well enough alone:

The point is to find out what was so exceptional about the original date palm of Judea, much praised in the Bible and the Koran for its shade, food, beauty and medicinal qualities, but long ago destroyed by the crusaders.

I don't suppose the Muslim's and the 'tree tax' had anything to do with it at all; that it was ALL due to the eeeevil

Crusaders?