As the sun beats down on the barren slopes around Jerusalem, a tree of the kind believed to have provided the crown of thorns in Biblical accounts of Jesus Christ's crucifixion stands unaffected, its fruits ample and foliage green. While pilgrims prepare to converge on the city at Easter to commemorate the events of Christian tradition, Israeli scientists researching climate change are at work in the surrounding hills studying the Ziziphus Spina-Christi, commonly known as Christ's Thorn Jujube. They believe it is a "pioneer species" in the fight against desertification because its hardiness makes it resilient to rising temperatures and aridity. Various plants have been proposed as the source of the crown of thorns the New Testament says was placed on Christ's head in the lead-up to the crucifixion, and no-one knows for certain. “Studying its attributes and its traits is going to help us to breed species that we want in the future," said Cohen.

Source: dna March 29, 2018 09:56 UTC