Scientists accidentally killed the once known world's oldest living creature, a mollusc, known to be aged as 507 years old.

The story behind the answer

True. In 2006, researchers collected an ocean quahog (Arctica islandica) and, during analysis, inadvertently killed it by opening its shell. Later, by counting its shell’s annual growth rings—like tree rings—they determined it was 507 years old. Nicknamed “Ming” because it was born around 1499 during China’s Ming Dynasty, it was then the oldest known individual animal.

Ocean quahogs thrive in cold North Atlantic waters and age slowly due to a low metabolism, which helps explain their extraordinary longevity. The incident spurred more careful, non-destructive aging methods. Memory tip: Think “Ming the mollusc, older than Shakespeare”—a simple link to its 15th-century birth.