3,000-yr-old 'living fossil' tree found in China
Chinese authorities on Sunday said they had found a rare Chinese yew tree, believed to be about 3,000 years old. The species, harvested to extract a cancer-treating compound called 'taxol', is now under national protection for endangered plants. The Chinese yew is called a "living fossil" of the plant world, as the species has existed 2.5 million years.\n