High in the arid mountain forests of eastern California there is a living tree that’s older than the pyramids of Giza and the ancient city-state of Babylon — but its location is a secret. The Methuselah tree, named after an especially long-living character in the Book of Genesis, is estimated to have started growing roughly 4,857 years ago in the White Mountains just north of Death Valley. …Scientists believe it is either the oldest or second-oldest living tree known to humanity — excepting clonal colonies, in which individual trees live and die as part of the same ancient collective organism. …It’s a standout example of the Great Basin bristlecone pine, formally known as pinus longaeva. Because they are adapted to live in such harsh environments the trees are extraordinary resilient and resistant to infection. …Some scientists believe there is a Patagonian cypress tree in the rainy mountains of Chile that is around 5,400 years old.