A Ginkgo biloba tree that survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945 is still growing today beside the city's Hosen-ji Buddhist temple, more than 270 million years after its species first appeared on Earth.
On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped the first atomic bomb ever used as a weapon of war on Hiroshima. The explosion destroyed much of the city and killed an estimated 140,000 people. Less than a year later, a Ginkgo biloba sprouted again near the old Hosen-ji temple.
When the temple was later rebuilt, the tree was deliberately preserved and went on to become a symbol of rebirth and hope. Trees that survived Japan's atomic bombings are known as hibakujumoku. Beside this particular Ginkgo, an inscription was placed reading "No more Hiroshima," a message meant to recall the tragedy while pointing to the resilience of life.
A living fossil that barely changes
Ginkgo biloba is often described as a living fossil because its physical form has barely changed in roughly 270 million years. Native to China and long used in traditional medicine and as an ornamental species, it is considered one of the oldest living tree lineages on the planet. Individual trees can live to about 1,500 years old.
The species is known for tolerating conditions that would kill most other trees, including low light, nutrient-poor soil, and attacks from bacteria, fungi and viruses. That combination of extreme longevity and resistance is part of what allowed a Ginkgo to take root again in the aftermath of Hiroshima's destruction.
Genetics behind its resilience
Scientists have traced some of that hardiness to the tree's genetic makeup. The Ginkgo's DNA is about 3.5 times longer than that of a human and contains more than 40,000 genes, many of them linked to defense mechanisms against disease and environmental stress.
That genetic profile has kept the species under scientific study, with researchers also examining the chemical compounds the tree produces. The Hiroshima Ginkgo, still standing beside Hosen-ji temple, remains one of the most visible reminders of how the species endured one of the most destructive events of the 20th century.
