Just a skip, hop, and a jump from the Van Ness metro station, nestled in International Park, sits an unassuming apple tree. This tree is a clone of the one that bonked Isaac Newton on the head and inspired the theory of gravity.
While the original tree – still going strong at 350 years old – is located in Lincolnshire, England, this one came from one of only four cuttings from the original. Because it was propagated and not planted by seed, it is technically an exact genetic clone and qualifies as a “direct descendant.” The tree is guarded by the secret service, so don’t even think about trying to nosh on some gravity apples.
That being said, explorers are welcome to visit the beloved science icon and rest in the shade of its branches as Isaac Newton once did!
Meet the Clone of Newton's Apple Tree
Kaela Cote-Stemmermann
At the previous site of the National Bureau of Standards (now NIST), a clone of Isaac Newton's famed apple tree stands in International Park. (Blake Patterson/Flickr)
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