Meet Ming: The world's oldest creature that scientists just accidentally killed

Oops.

In 2006, a team of oceanic researchers from Bangor University in North Wales stumbled upon a nondescript clam off the frigid coastal waters of Iceland. It was just one of 200 specimens collected.

Their original goal was to study climate change's effects on the local ecosystem, and since clams can live for very long periods of time, their calcified shells can provide an incisive historical account on how the surrounding environment has changed over the decades.

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Chris Gayomali is the science and technology editor for TheWeek.com. Previously, he was a tech reporter at TIME. His work has also appeared in Men's Journal, Esquire, and The Atlantic, among other places. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.