Reuters: On the shores of lake Nahuel Huapi, in the wild mountains of Argentina’s Patagonia, live some of the world’s most ancient trees. Known in Spanish as the alerce, the Patagonian cypress grows extremely slowly, but can reach heights over 50 meters (165 feet) and live for 2,000 years or more, putting some of them among the oldest living things on earth. For scientists who come from around the world to study them, the alerces give an exciting snapshot of years past. Argentine …