The answer lies in an enzyme found in Methuselah. That’s the name given to a bristlecone pine tree growing in California’s White Mountains. When it was named, the tree was the oldest recorded living being. Today, it’s nearing its 4,800th birthday. For context, Methuselah had already been alive for centuries before construction of the Egyptian pyramids had even begun. An enzyme found in the roots of bristlecone pines appears to peak a few thousand years into the trees’ lifespan and actually rebuilds telomeres.1957 Scientists named the enzyme telomerase. Once they knew what to look for, they
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