Photographer Rachel Sussman spent almost a decade touring the world trying to locate the oldest living things on earth. From the Australian Outback to Greenland's icy landscapes, she captures snapshots of stubborn life forms who've managed to stand the test of time despite planetary change.
Examples of her findings include an 80,000-year old colony of aspen tree in Utah and a 43,600-year old shrub in Tasmania.
The images will be assembled in a book titled 'The Oldest Living Things in the World,' which will be published this Spring. The constantly aging, almost immortal organisms are a captivating visual history of the world's survivor inhabitants. These photos make us appreciate the past but also question the future. With the state of the earth now, will these ancient wonders be able to survive? The book of images with essays will be released on Earth Day.
What's Driving This Trend
- Ancient Organism Preservation
- Opportunity for new preservation methods and technology to be developed for ancient organisms and environments.
- Sustainable Travel
- The rise of sustainable eco-tourism and experiential travel based on unique cultural and natural experiences.
- Visual Storytelling
- Growing demand for visually-driven storytelling through photography in book publications and digital media.
Who This Affects Most
- Environmental Science
- Research, development and implementation of new scientific techniques and practices surrounding the preservation of ancient organisms and environments.
- Travel and Tourism
- Developing new experiential travel packages, tourism facilities and programs inspired by unique and historic natural wonders.
- Publishing
- New opportunities for publishers and photographers to create visually stunning books and other media that showcase unique experiences and perspectives.
