Answer 2:
In a word, no.
First off, trees vary a lot in how long they can
live. Cherry and apple trees live for 40-70 years
or so, i.e. similar to or less than humans. Oaks
live for hundreds of years. Only a few types of
pines, redwoods, ginkgos, and a rare few others
can live for thousands of years.
The way that plants can have this is by having
slower growth and by having tissues that
completely regenerate the plant's DNA every time a
cell divides. Animals (including humans) don't
have that; each of our cells loses a bit of its
DNA when it divides. There are animal cells that
don't lose their DNA this way and divide
uncontrollably - this causes the disease we call
cancer. Plants don't get cancer because they don't
have vital organs; a dead leaf or branch on a tree
just falls off the tree, so a cancer on a tree
would just kill the limb that it's on and not harm
the rest of the tree. Animals have hearts and
brains and things that can't be lost like that.
These organs also wear out, which is another
reason why animals grow old, while plants just
make new organs because none of their organs are
quite as vital.
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