The Oldest Living Things in the World – eBook

Description

The Oldest Living Things in the World (PDF) invites readers on an extraordinary expedition through the annals of time and the vastness of our planet. Over a decade of dedicated research, renowned artist and photographer Rachel Sussman has worked alongside biologists and traversed the globe to capture continuous living organisms that are 2,000 years old or more. From the icy expanses of Antarctica to the rugged terrains of Greenland, the arid Mojave Desert to the rich landscapes of the Australian Outback, Sussman’s work culminates in a breathtaking visual anthology comprising ancient life forms that stand distinct in both the artistic and scientific realms.

This remarkable collection is not just about age; it embodies a profound commitment to environmentalism, infused with Sussman’s insatiable curiosity about life itself. She begins her narrative at “year zero,” illuminating the journey of these remarkable beings who have thrived across continents and timescales. From Greenlandic lichens, which grow at the glacial pace of one centimeter each century, to unique desert shrubs found in Africa and South America, this book features an astonishing diversity of ancient organisms, including a predatory fungus from Oregon, Caribbean brain coral, and an astounding 80,000-year-old colony of aspen trees in Utah.

Sussman’s adventurous spirit took her to Antarctica, where she immortalized a 5,500-year-old moss, and to Australia, to photograph stromatolites—living fossils intricately connected to Earth’s oxygenation and the dawn of life. Her expedition extended to Tasmania, where she documented a remarkable 43,600-year-old self-propagating shrub, the last remnant of its species. Each portrait serves as a testament to the living history of our planet, revealing not only their resilience but also what humanity stands to lose as these sentinels of time face existential threats from climate change and human encroachment. Tragically, two of Sussman’s chosen subjects have already succumbed to human actions.

Accompanying these stunning images are enthralling narratives of Sussman’s global quests to locate her subjects, along with insights from the scientists dedicated to studying these ancient organisms. The Oldest Living Things in the World stands as both a chronicle and a celebration of our planet’s rich history, an urgent call to safeguard the present, and a poignant barometer for our future.

ISBN: 978-0847841730; 978-0847841747