
The loneliest plant in the world (2011) - whyenot
http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2011/05/10/136029423/the-loneliest-plant-in-the-world
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infinity
L'Arbre du Ténéré was once considered the most isolated tree on Earth, the
only one for over 400 kilometres ... it was killed in 1973 by a drunk truck
driver:

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbre_du_Ténéré](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbre_du_Ténéré)

[http://knowledgenuts.com/2013/09/30/a-drunk-driver-killed-
th...](http://knowledgenuts.com/2013/09/30/a-drunk-driver-killed-the-most-
isolated-tree-in-the-world/)

~~~
comrh
How the hell do you not avoid a single object in the middle of nowhere?

~~~
sb23
It's the only thing to look at - and you tend to steer in the direction you're
looking...

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fit2rule
This is such a pregnant story .. its a chapter in human management of the
ecological treasures of our planet that is waiting to be written. I hope I
live to see the day another cycad is found, and the species returns to
flourish on the Earth .. what an enlightening circumstance that would be.

~~~
guard-of-terra
I don't think they're going to flourish - they seems to have a evolutionary
disadvantage.

However we can devise and island or two for such fauna exclusively. Maybe some
day we even get hold on some dinosaurs.

~~~
fit2rule
Well, given its - at the moment - the absolute last survivor of its species,
were a suitable mate to be discovered I think I'd be happy thinking of the
result as a flourish upon the Earth.. but I'm willing to admit that's just me.
;)

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bali
if it's a male dioecious plant, then it has X & Y chromosomes (like dates), so
you could theoretically clone a female friend for him :)

~~~
mhurron
There are more sex chromosomes in the world than just X and Y. It may not be
so simple.

~~~
bali
Very true sir in a small fraction of cases, see
[http://www.umsl.edu/~renners/Ming_etal_Sex_chromosomes_2011....](http://www.umsl.edu/~renners/Ming_etal_Sex_chromosomes_2011.pdf)
(well, if you wanted to be precise, you could have said "there are more sex
determination systems in the world than just XX/XY", since these letters only
make sense when it comes to comparing different systems, sex loci relate to
one chromosome within the same species)

In this particular case however, it's not true, Cycads are in the XY/XX
system, see
[http://aob.oxfordjournals.org/content/26/2/261](http://aob.oxfordjournals.org/content/26/2/261)

So we may proceed and clone those females :)

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ranglelii
A sad fate known to many woodiis

