Plants Through the Sands of Time

In the arid expanse of Chile's Atacama Desert, a team of ecologists has uncovered an extraordinary revelation: some plant species have managed to survive for thousands of years, seemingly defying the natural limitations of life. These ancient botanical specimens, known as 'clonal colonies', are groups of genetically identical plants that propagate through a remarkable mechanism of natural cloning. These clonal colonies are not a singular organism withstanding the onslaught of time, but rather a collective existence where individual plants rejuvenate and sustain the larger organism.

This tenacity allows them to thrive in harsh and arid environments, surviving significant climatic changes and offering remnants of the primeval ecosystems that once dominated these areas.