Ming — as the mollusk came to be known as — was estimated at the ... According to ScienceNordic, the researchers counted the rings on the hinge ligament — the area that connects the two halves of the ...

The researchers, who didn't realize how old Ming was when they first found it, opened the ancient clam up to judge its age by counting growth rings inside its hinge ligaments. That's because the ...

It really is the crucial ligament of our knee, acting as a main hinge joint and providing stability in our knee for activity, such as changing direction, stopping, starting, landing from a jump ...

Ming the Mollusk, the oldest clam ever found ... “The growth rings are also better protected inside the hinge ligaments.” The problem with the interior ligaments’ rings, though, was that ...

The mollusks feed on tiny plants or animals ... Their shell consists of two parts, connected by a hinge joint and a ligament. With the help of the ligament both parts can be opened.

They wanted to figure out just how old it could be, so they decided to open it up and count the growth rings along the clam's hinge ligament. They got their answer -- and it was shocking.