Ancient Bristlecone Pines Reveal Longevity Secrets

Genetic sequencing of the world's oldest individual organism could unlock clues about longevity in other species.

Mar. 24, 2026 at 3:02am

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A team of scientists coordinated by the University of California, Davis has sequenced the genome of the Great Basin bristlecone pine, the oldest individual, non-clonal organism on the planet. The study, published in the journal G3: Genes|Genomics|Genetics, reveals insights into the genetic basis of the tree's exceptional longevity, including genes showing disease resistance and larger-than-average telomere lengths compared to other conifers.

Why it matters

Sequencing the ancient bristlecone pine's genome could help unlock the secrets of its longevity and provide insights that may be applicable to understanding longevity in other species, including humans. The bristlecone pine has persisted for millennia through past extreme climate periods, and understanding its genetic adaptations could help land managers identify genetic materials that may help these trees adapt to future environments.

The details

With a permit from the USDA Forest Service, researchers collected tissue samples from the needles and seeds of a bristlecone pine tree in California's White Mountains. Scientists at Johns Hopkins University conducted genetic sequencing on the samples, revealing 21,364 protein-coding genes, including genes showing disease resistance and larger-than-average telomere lengths, compared with other conifers. Large telomeres typically signify a longer cell life and slower aging.

  • The study was published on March 24, 2026.

The players

University of California, Davis

The university that coordinated the team of scientists conducting the research.

David Neale

A UC Davis professor emeritus of Plant Sciences who previously helped sequence the coast redwood, giant sequoia and whitebark pine genomes and is the project lead for the bristlecone pine genome sequencing.

Steven Salzberg

A professor of biomedical engineering at Johns Hopkins University who conducted the genetic sequencing on the bristlecone pine samples.

Constance Millar

An ecologist with the USDA Forest Service's Pacific Southwest Regional Station and a co-author of the study.

Great Basin bristlecone pine

The oldest individual, non-clonal organism on the planet, with some trees living more than 5,000 years.

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What they’re saying

“Assembling a 24 billion base pair genome that is eight times the size of the human genome is a significant technical challenge. Despite its great size, though, the genome of bristlecone pine contains only slightly more genes than the human genome. The rest of the genome is filled with millions of repetitive 'junk DNA' sequences, which appear to do no harm to the organism, since it has carried these repeats through millions of years of evolutionary history.”

— Steven Salzberg, Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University

“That bristlecone pine has endurance to persist in the face of impacts from climate change is witnessed by the White Mountains populations, which have thrived in place throughout climate extremes for almost 11,000 years - since the last ice age.”

— Constance Millar, Ecologist, USDA Forest Service

“People ask me those kinds of things: 'David, tell me which is the longevity gene, and I will clone it, patent it and sell it.' Of course, it's massively complex. But there could be some fundamental discovery of the genetic basis of longevity in this one organism that could be applied to other organisms.”

— David Neale, Professor Emeritus of Plant Sciences, UC Davis

What’s next

The study's authors note that sequencing the ancient bristlecone pine's genome is just the first step, and that further research is needed to fully understand the genetic basis of the tree's exceptional longevity and how those insights could be applied to other species.

The takeaway

The genetic sequencing of the world's oldest individual organism, the Great Basin bristlecone pine, has revealed intriguing clues about the biological mechanisms underlying extreme longevity. While the full implications remain to be explored, this research represents an important step towards unlocking the secrets of longevity that could benefit a wide range of species, including humans.