Prometheus (recorded as WPN-114) was the oldest known non-clonal organism, a Great Basin bristlecone pine ("Pinus longaeva") tree growing near the tree line on Wheeler Peak in eastern Nevada, United States. The tree, which was at least 4,862 years old and possibly more than 5,000, was cut down in 1964 by a graduate student and United States Forest Service personnel for research purposes. Those involved did not know of its world-record age before the cutting, but the circumstances and decision-making process remain controversial.