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The sizes of organisms on Earth vary greatly and are not always easy to estimate. On the large end, great stands of poplar trees entirely connected by common roots are really a single organism. A variety of influences place an upper limit to the size of organisms. One is the strength of biological materials. Sequoia redwood trees, some of which exceed 90 metres (300 feet), are apparently near the upper limit of height for an organism. The Italian astronomer Galileo calculated in 1638 that a tree taller than roughly 90 metres would buckle under its own weight when displaced slightly ...(100 of 16671 words)