VOLGOGRAD, June 18 (RIA Novosti) – Scientists in southern Russia are working to clone a 100-year-old poplar tree that survived the Battle of Stalingrad, a spokesperson for the local environmental authority said.
The poplar was damaged by bullets and shrapnel during the Second World War, when Volgograd – then known as Stalingrad – was the scene of a 200-day battle between Soviet and invading Nazi forces.
The battle was one of the war’s bloodiest, with the total casualties for the two sides estimated at about two million, but historians also view it as a turning point.
Against all odds, however, the tree survived – and has been protected by the local authorities since 1993.
However, scientists now fear that the tree may not survive much longer, as poplar trees on average live for about 80 years.
A memorial note on this one reads: “This poplar tree has lived through the great battle.”
“In order to preserve the idea of continuity between generations, we have decided to use this tree’s genetic material to reproduce it,” the spokesperson said.
The scientists have taken 10 samples from the tree and expect to plant its first saplings in downtown Volgograd next year.
