Methuselah a gnarled bristlecone pine from California between the Sierra Madre mountain range and Death Valley desert wasteland
But a tree named Alerce Milenario (Gran Abuelo, "Great Grandfather") was recently discovered in Chile, South America, that may be centuries older, according to tree experts attempting to date it
Coastal redwood Hyperionof California (over 370 feet) is the tallest tree in the world, discovered in 2006, next to other very tall trees.
The largest (not tallest, not widest, but overall biggest, assuming someone has compared it to those massive Tree of Life trees in Africa, the baobab) is General Sherman, who lives in California's Sequoia National Park
Today, August 25, the focus shifts from commercial deals to celebrating and supporting America’s natural wonders. Many parks, like Yellowstone, Yosemit, and Grand Canyon, often offer free admission on this special day [though everyone can get into national parks around the country free for the rest of the year due to a special dispensation that is not widely advertised if one were to look it up], encouraging visitors to experience their beauty firsthand. Organizations like the National Park Foundation and Friends of the National Parks groups host fundraising drives and volunteer events, often partnering with brands like REI and Patagonia for donation matching. Local businesses near park entrances may offer special discounts to park rangers and staff as a token of appreciation. More
Peru is a country in South America, and the Paracas culture apparently left behind many pyramids. How could they have developed the advanced technology to construct them without extraterrestrial assistance, the same as the incredible technological innovations all over and under ancient Egypt?
In fact, the distribution of such marvels worldwide, overland and undersea, is startling and seems to have been covered up, particularly by China and Nubia (modern Sudan).
North Africa and West Asia DNA in Egypt
The largest pyramid in the world is in Mexico (Great Pyramid of Cholula), and Sudan (Pyramids of Meroë) has more pyramids than Egypt. But if there are 200 more in China, or if Bosnia and Indonesia have mountains that are really superannuated pyramids that science is only slowly coming around to admitting to, we have been deceived about the world.
Before Göbekli Tepe | Boncuklu Tarla | exclusive site exploration and museum visit | Megalithomania
(MegalithomaniaUK) Imagine exploring ancient Turkey (Turkiye) in May 2025, including Göbekli Tepe, Derinkuyu [the underground city], Karahan Tepe, Çatalhöyük, and more. For limited time discount, see: megalithomania.co.uk.
On the upper reaches of the Tigris River in Turkey are several archeological sites that predate Göbekli Tepe, including one that could be up to 13,000 years old.
This is Boncuklu Tarla ("Beaded Field"), where excavations have revealed 30 residential houses, six public structures, and the skeletons of 130 individuals. More than 100,000 beads and shaped raw copper have been unearthed (also found at nearby Gre Filla Höyük).
Much of this material is on display at Mardin Museum, which is investigated in this video. The square enclosures at the site are up to 30 feet wide and contain standing stones about five feet tall, some of the earliest megaliths on the planet.
Notably, one enclosure has a holed stone in its wall, just as is found at Karahan Tepe and Göbekli Tepe. Could this be evidence of very early astronomical observations?
Boncuklu Tarla, like many of the earliest sites in Turkey, was buried beneath a mound with finds that date from nearly 13,000 to 9,000 years old (Epipaleolithic period through to the Late pre-pottery Neolithic B).
Megalithomania May 4-5, 2024, Town Hall of Glastonbury, featuring a stunning lineup of speakers at the cutting edge of ancient mysteries and archeology. Christine Rhone introduces the ‘John Michell Memorial Lecture.’ Speakers' forum hosted by John Martineau. There are four days of tours. Details: megalithomania.co.uk.
Megalithomania's Hugh Newman and many other great speakers were at The Cosmic Summit 2024 in Greensboro, North Carolina, USA, on June 15-17. Speakers included Randall Carlson, Scott Wolter, Ben Van Kerkwyk, Martin Sweatman, Praveen Mohan (India expert), and more. Tickets: cosmicsummit.com.
Borneo (/bore-nee-yo/) is the third-largest island in the world, with an area of 288,869 square miles (748,168 km2) and a population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses) [1, 2, 3]. Situated at the geographic center of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda Islands, located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and east of Sumatra. The island is crossed by the equator, which divides it roughly in half. More
CAVES: Borneo has significant cave systems. In Sarawak, the Clearwater Cave has one of the world's longest underground rivers while Deer Cave is home to over three million bats, with guano accumulated to over 330 feet (100 meters) deep [28]. The Gomantong Caves in Sabah have been dubbed the "Cockroach Caves" due to the presence of millions of cockroaches inside [29, 30]. The Gunung Mulu National Park in Sarawak and Sangkulirang-Mangkalihat Karst in East Kalimantan have karst areas that contain thousands of smaller caves [31].
History of Borneo: the original headhunters
ANCIENT HUMAN ART: Scientists reported the discovery of the oldest known figurative art painting, over 40,000 years old (perhaps as old as 52,000 years old), of an unknown (bull) animal, in the cave of Lubang Jeriji Saléh on the island of Borneo in Nov. 2018 [52, 53]. It has been proposed, based on house construction styles, linguistic, and genetic evidence, that Madagascar may have been first populated from southern Borneo. More
Figurative cave paintings from the Indonesian island of Sulawesi date to at least 35,000 years ago (ka) and hand-stencil art from the same region has a minimum date of 40 ka1. Here we show that similar rock art was created during essentially the same time period on the adjacent island of Borneo. Uranium-series analysis of calcium carbonate deposits that overlie a large reddish-orange figurative painting of an animal at Lubang Jeriji Saléh-a limestone cave in East Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo-yielded a minimum date of 40 ka, which to our knowledge is currently the oldest date for figurative artwork from anywhere in the world. In addition, two reddish-orange-coloured hand stencils from the same site each yielded a minimum uranium-series date of... Source: Palaeolithic cave art in Borneo (PubMed)
The Oldest art on Earth: Discovered in a hidden Borneo cave
(documentalism) May 19, 2025: Deep in the rainforests of Indonesian Borneo, a scientist has uncovered ancient secrets hidden in unmapped limestone caves. Join Steve Backshall and an expedition team as it battles through jungle to film what is the oldest figurative cave art ever discovered — dated as being up to 50,000 years old.
This was one of the most memorable expeditions I have ever directed and filmed. It is an amazing privilege to have worked with such an amazing and competent team. In memory of the brilliant Pak Pindi Setiawan. Huge thanks to Steve Backshall, Pak Pindi Setiawan, Aldo Kane, the whole filming team and True To Nature, UKTV, FMI. Watch the full episode on the BBC: bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002...
Watch more wild expeditions: u.co.uk/shows/expedition-with...
#Borneo #CaveArt #Expedition #AncientHistory #SteveBackshall
Steve Backshall, documentalism, May 19, 2025; Pat Macpherson, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly Wiki edit
He massacred trees: White man arrested in Downtown L.A. chainsaw tree mystery
(KTLA 5) April 23, 2025: A man has been arrested in connection with dozens of city-owned trees in Los Angeles that were cut down with [an electric] chainsaw over the Easter Holiday weekend. The suspect, Samuel Groft, 45, was arrested [on eight counts of] felony vandalism. [His crimes may cost the city more than $300,000 dollars to repair, but will a spend a penny of that on buying seeds to plant many additional trees to install in our concrete jungle?] KTLA's Mary Beth McDade reports. Details: DTLA chainsaw tree massacre suspect in custody
Broadleaf. Evergreen. Conifer. How well do we really know our trees? Now we have a goal for National Arbor Day. Visit the arboretum.org in Los Angeles (by boat, not plane, like Greta Thunberg).
NOTE: National Arbor Day always falls on the last Friday in April, but many states observe Arbor Day on different dates throughout the year based on their best tree planting times, which varies widely. For example:
What one madman did in LA, we can all undo by getting out and helping nature (arborday.org).
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Plant a tree, preferably one native and appropriate to the region.
May we suggest using an acorn to produce an oak? And avoid watering its stem, but rather water around it to encourage it to grow strong roots far and wide.
What better way to celebrate Arbor Day than to plant our very own tree? It's an incredible experience watching a tree grow over the years.
Why did the Buddha love trees so much?
One mark of goodness (Buddhist skillfulness, wholesomeness, unselfishness, selflessness, nongreed, letting go, generosity, loving-kindness, giving, dana, compassion, thoughtfulness) is "planting trees the shade of which we will never sit under" because they take so long to grow. Why should we be unselfish? One good reason might be to look around and realize that we have shade because of the kindness of others (Native Americans, land caretakers, and bhumma-devas or woodland fairies and angelic light beings) who came before us. That should be reason enough. But this reflection may also help: Just as we cannot harm others without simultaneously harming others, we cannot help others without simultaneously helping ourselves. It may not be obvious, but that's just the way it is by a natural regularity we can call karma, the law of receiving back in kind what we put out into the world, not only immediately but also after a long time.
It's an unbelievable feeling knowing that we made it happen. Don't print this article! Deforestation is a huge problem with many implications, and reducing our paper usage is the most immediate way to make a difference.
We can go a step further by seeking out brands with sustainable business practices (not just greenwashing by corporations and the PR firms they hire to sell sell sell), and by adopting strong composting and recycling habits.
Siddhartha awakened with the help of this Bo tree
EDITOR'S NOTE: Let's not just recycle the way they do in Hollywood. Let's precycle the way they have been doing in Berkeley for decades. What's that? It's considering where something is coming from, what waste it is producing by reducing, reusing, and recycling. Pre-cycling is thinking ahead of time, maybe even thinking out for seven generations like the Indigenous peoples of America, the Native American tribes, and the Buddha spoke of doing. The Buddha said that? When asked about benefiting the deceased by the "transfer of merit," the Buddha explained that we have relatives. And if we do something for one who is not in a place able to receive it, it will still benefit our other relations out for seven generations. It's an odd coincidence to mention seven if the two are not related, so either they both knew something or the Buddha's teaching reached the Americas just like American historians like Edward P. Vining (An Inglorious Columbus) and Rick Fields (How the Swans Came to the Lake) have documented happened centuries ago. How can we "transfer" good karma because isn't "karma" one's own doing? Yes, it is, but it can be transferred in this way, according to the Buddha. There are worlds one may be reborn into that provide little to no opportunity for doing good. If one has a deed done on his or her behalf AND one appreciates, approves, applauds, and rejoices on account of that, then that one so doing is producing lots of skillful (good, meritorious) mental karma. And that will be of benefit there in that place. Only some places allow for this transfer to take place, but the Buddha said that our "relatives" extend out for seven generations, and with so many beings involved, it is impossible that we would be without being in just such a place to receive our transferred karma. So it will not go to waste, and who knows? It may be that we find ourselves reborn in such a destination needing help and overflowing with gratitude (like the "grateful dead") when a relative does something good on our behalf.
Take a hike -- the good kind! Hiking is a great escape from the doldrums of everyday life, and it's an activity that's great for people across a wide age range.
Where better to do it than out in nature? "Forest bathing" is a practice of doing it in the buff or at least scantily clad to absorb the dappled sunshine and negative ions as the trees and green environment exhales after breathing in what we exhale. It's an opportune time to be mindful rather than worried all full of discursive thoughts.
Why We Love National Arbor Day
The Buddha, ready to pass away into final nirvana and make an end of all rebirth, walked faraway until he came to twin sal trees, reclined between them, and bid the simulation farewell.
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Natural beauty is one reason. With so much of our population living in big cities, it's easy to lose sight of nature's greatness and splendor. Sniff a frangipani. Inhale the sappy ooze of a pine. Behold a cherry blossom.
Our planet needs love. Despite some disagreement about whether or not global warming is real and the fault of irresponsible corporations and thoughtless consumerism, there's no debating that keeping our planet healthy helps to keep us healthy. We avoid polluting, so let's avoid over-consuming.
There's a lot to love about a holiday that helps make our planet a better place. There's a global movement with over 40 nations having their own version of Arbor Day. Therefore, it's safe to say that this holiday is worldwide.
We've got a lot to be thankful for when it comes to trees, so it's only natural that so many cultures have their own day to celebrate. Source: National Arbor Day
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MyOutdoorLife, April 19, 2025; KTLA 5 News, Los Angeles, April 23; 2025; NationalToday.com, April 25, 2025; Eds., Wisdom Quarterly
A groundbreaking chance discovery in southwest England in the Hangman Sandstone Formation revealed the world's oldest fossilized forest. Dating back 390 million years, these ancient trees help grow our knowledge of early ecosystems and how we believe forests developed during the Middle Devonian period.
The world's oldest forest dating hundreds of millions of years old has been found
What garden existed in ancient New York state?
The world's oldest forest, which dates back hundreds of millions of years, has been found.
Scientists have unearthed the world's oldest known forest in upstate New York, USA.
This 386-million-year-old woodland predates the dinosaurs by over 100 million years.
Researchers mapped 3,000 square meters of the ancient forest in Cairo, New York. What other prehistoric wonders might lie hidden beneath our feet?
These early species reproduced using spores rather than seeds. Archaeopteris, reaching heights of 30 meters, was among the first plants to develop leaves. How did these ancient trees shape the world we know today?
"We are going to leave further excavations (beyond the 5% so far uncovered) to future generations"? That's what someone said and what the team intends to do because of Schwab. Attention is being turned to an older neighboring site, another tepe or tell (Karahan Tepe or Gürcü Tepe?) instead. Which billionaire is making this decision? What does Klaus "World Economic Forum" Schwab (not to be confused with the original German archeologist to excavate here Klaus Schmidt) have to do with it? What are they hiding under structures and by planting an orchard of trees on an arid and barren hillside that cannot easily be dug up the more it grows and becomes established? Even ground penetrating radar will have trouble seeing what's underneath. What are they keeping buried, unexcavated, and therefore secret?
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