Harriet the tortoise dies at 176

A 176-year-old tortoise thought by some to have been owned by Charles Darwin has died in an Australian zoo.

The giant tortoise, known as Harriet, was long reputed to have been one of three tortoises taken from the Galapagos Islands by Darwin on his historic 1835 voyage aboard the HMS Beagle.

However, historical records don't prove the claim, and some scientists have cast doubt on the story, with DNA tests confirming Harriet's age but showing she came from an island that Darwin never visited

I was on a panel Saturday debating the effects of longevity. I found myself the optimist with the writers all gloom and doom. "It's terrible, people are going to live longer." People are already living longer and it is reflected in politics, government, lifestyles, economics, and most of life. There are a million possible futures and people are taking all of them. One future, as the writers kept suggesting, was the least probable outcome.

Tags: nature, Darwin, longevity