Can lotus seeds really sleep for thousands of years without dying? Sleeping for a thousand years is

First of all, lotus seeds have a solid and dense seed coat, which is an important factor in their longevity. Our common fresh lotus seed has a thick and pliable seed coat. It is made up of multiple layers of dense cells.

As the seeds dry, this seed coat gradually dehydrates and lignizes, eventually forming a hard, dense, impermeable and air- protective layer. This protective layer is extremely hard and difficult to break unless it is soaked or machined for a long time. This hard coat protects the viable embryos and allows them to be preserved for a long time without damage.

Secondly, during the drying process of lotus seeds, their water content will drop to about 10% to 12%. Such a low water content inhibits the physiological activity of the embryo, leaving it dormant and thus able to survive a long time. Third, the main nutrients stored in lotus seeds are starch, and starch is very stable in the dry state and can be stored for a long time.

Comparatively speaking, plant seeds that use protein or fat as storage materials do not live as long as lotus seeds because they are less stable than starch. Fats, in particular, deteriorate due to easy oxidation, so the seeds of oil crops have a shorter lifespan. Having a hard and dense protective layer, low water content, and stable storage material are the three most important factors for lotus seeds to have an extremely long lifespan.

Looking at the plant kingdom, there are really not many species that have to meet these three conditions. For example, although the seeds of most grasses are mainly starch, they lack a hard and dense seed coat, so they will rot and even char after being buried in the ground for a long time. However, many nut seeds, although they have hard peel and seed coat protection, cannot maintain their vigor for a long time because of their high oil content.

Yes, lotus seeds are known as the "longevity seeds" of the plant world, "mainly because the outer layer of lotus seeds has a delicate and dense skin, which is not easy for air and moisture to enter, and can ensure that the seeds can carry out extremely weak respiration." Therefore, lotus seeds can be stored for thousands of years, and once the conditions are met, they can germinate.

The shell of the lotus seed is very hard and can be stored for a very long time, and we have once planted the lotus seed excavated by ancient archaeology, and it has bloomed.

Can a seed that has been buried deep in the ground for thousands of years still take root and sprout? Unlikely, right? However, it is an incredible miracle that a few of these seeds are fortunate enough to rediscover the light of day after a thousand years, and when exposed to the right temperature, humidity, water and sunlight, they show tender buds.

In 1951, the villagers of Pulandian Baozi in Liaoning Province found several ancient lotus seeds from the peat layer when they were digging a river. After washing, people found that it was still shiny, hard and lubricated on the outside, and it looked very cute. It is presumed that they have been sleeping quietly underground for thousands of years.

But they didn't die. Chinese scientists use a file to gently file the shell of the ancient lotus seeds, and then soak them in water. The ancient lotus seeds soon pulled out tender green buds.

The ancient lotus seeds planted in 1953 by the Beijing Botanical Garden bloomed pink lotus flowers in the summer of 1955. Botanical gardens in many countries have taken this ancient lotus seed from our country, and all of them have been planted for survival.

In general, the effective life of seeds of plants at room temperature is 2 to 3 years. It is indeed a mystery why Duan Xian's ancient lotus seeds, which had been buried in the ground for thousands of years, could be alive and could sprout and bloom after treatment and cultivation. Scientists say that the reason why lotus seeds have such amazing vitality is mainly because of their own special structure.

The outer layer of the peel of the lotus seed is particularly tough, there is a layer of strong and dense palisade-like tissue under the epidermal cells of the peel, and there is a stomatal channel under the stomata so that the air can enter and exit freely when the fruit (lotus seed) is not ripe; When the fruit is fully ripe, this pore shrinks, so that air and moisture are blocked, and even microorganisms are not easy to enter, which makes the skin a "sealed bin".

Plant physiologists believe that the reason why seeds lose their life is due to the coagulation of the protoplasm of the seed's endogerm, and that if the water content of the seed remains the same, the life of the seed can be extended. In addition, the temperature in the soil below one meter above the ground is lower than that in the ground air, and it is more stable, which is also conducive to the long-term preservation of the vitality of the seeds. The low temperatures, low rainfall (low humidity) and high oxygen levels in the peat layer in the Pulandian area have kept the ancient lotus seeds alive for up to 10 centuries.

The germ of lotus seeds is particularly rich in oxidative anti-scurvy acid and glutathione, which also play an important role in maintaining the vitality of lotus seeds. When lotus seeds germinate, the oxidized ascorbic acid contained in it is gradually transformed into reduced ascorbic acid (i.e., vitamin C), which promotes the germination of lotus seed germ. Glutathione is a reducing agent that converts oxidized ascorbic acid to reduced ascorbic acid.

<>** from the web).

The resurrection of thousand-year-old lotus seeds is nothing new. As early as the 50s of the 20th century, researchers from the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences did the same thing. The seeds they used were found in Pulandian, Liaoning.

The seeds are still preserved in the ruins of the ancient lotus pond, and their skin is almost carbonized. After isotope analysis, these lotus seeds have been around for thousands of years. After the relevant archaeological work was completed, the researchers tried to do some treatment on these ancient lotus seeds, and opened the surface carbonized lotus seed shell.

Such a lotus seed actually sprouted. Not only that, but this sprouting seedling eventually grew a lotus root and blossomed into a beautiful lotus flower. To this day, we can still enjoy the flowers of these thousand-year-old lotus flowers in the ancient lotus scenic area of the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

<>** from the web).

In fact, it is not uncommon for the seeds of longevity to germinate again in nature. During an expedition between 1963 and 1965, Israeli scientists found seeds of dates, known as Iraqi dates, more than 2,000 years ago, in the ruins of a palace overlooking the Dead Sea. The seeds of these dates are also able to take root and sprout.

Most dramatically, when the seeds were discovered in 1965, they were shelved by archaeologists until 40 years later, when curious botanists brought them in. No one could have imagined that one of the three seeds planted would sprout and grow into a healthy date palm tree.

The reason why these seeds have been preserved for thousands of years is that lotus seeds and date palm seeds have dense peels, which can isolate the seeds from the outside environment. On the other hand, lotus seeds are kept in swampy mud where oxygen is scarce, while date palm seeds are found in desert arid environments, where the seeds are almost dormant and can be stored for long periods of time.

<>** from the web).

According to the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the lifespan of ancient lotus seeds is between 830 and 1250 years old, making it the longest-lived seed in the world.

There is a hard shell on the outside of the ancient lotus seeds, which can not only completely prevent the infiltration and leakage of moisture and air, but also form a small air chamber that stores cubic millimeters of air to maintain the life of the ancient lotus seeds. In addition, the ancient lotus seeds contain very little water, only 12%, and they are buried in the peat layer and are kept in dry, low temperature and closed conditions for a long time, so they can maintain their vitality for thousands of years. After a thousand years, if the environment is right, lotus seeds can be rejuvenated and sprout.