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In 1879 a scientist buried bottles filled with seeds. Every 20 years, one is dug up and studied.
142 years ago, botanist James Beal had a unique idea for how we could learn more about seeds.Beal wanted to know just how long seeds of different kinds would remain viable in soil. Now, that might not sound like the most exciting research topic of all time, but understanding seed longevity actually plays a crucial role in agriculture, our food supply, and the preservation of biodiversity.in 1879, Beal decided to bury 20 bottles filled with seeds in the ground. The bottles were open to allow soil and some moisture to reach the seeds, but positioned in such a way that they would not fill with water. That would allow just enough moisture for the seeds to theoretically survive without sprouting.According to Popular Science, each bottle held 50 seeds form 21 different plant species, all mixed into sand. That's over 1,000 seeds per bottle. Beal's plan was to dig up a new bottle every five years and test to see if the seeds could still be successfully planted.After running the experiment himself for several years, it was time for Beal to retire. The work was handed off in 1910 to a fellow professor, and in a few years the timeline was shifted: A new bottle would be dug up every 10 years instead of 5. Shortly after, it was extended to 20 years.The Beal Seed Experiment is still ongoing, with the final bottle scheduled to be dug up sometime around the year 2100. The project has been handed off multiple times and, at 142 years old, is now one of the longest running active experiments of all time.
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The Beal Seed Experiment is currently in the capable hands of a team of scientists at Michigan State University.The research team most recently dug up a new bottle in 2021, a year delayed after the COVID-19 pandemic. The scientists ventured out in the dead of night so as not to expose the dug up seeds to any sunlight that may alter the experiment.Once they've collected the seeds, they plant them in fresh soil and see if they will sprout. Unsurprisingly, the most resilient of seeds typically belong to weeds. Others are more fragile.When seeds don't sprout, the scientists don't give up. After all, they need something to do for the next 20 years. They try a variety of groundbreaking techniques to try to revive the seeds and bring them back to life, including simulating winter with a shock of extreme cold, simulating exposure to fire smoke, and other experimental treatments they're ready to test.If seeds can not be revived, they are studied heavily. The scientists need to know what factors contribute to seeds that are better able to survive long periods of time dormant in the soil.After all, the Beal Botanical Garden writes, "We may yet see that ungerminated seeds remaining from this latest germination experiment are in fact viable, and simply haven’t been exposed to the right conditions." - YouTube www.youtube.com Why does this unique experiment still matter, nearly 150 years later?An article published in the Portland Press states, "Understanding the molecular basis of seed longevity provides important new genetic targets for the production of crops with enhanced resilience to changing climates."In other words, our food supply could, in the future, be dependent on our ability to bioengineer seeds and crops that can survive as temperatures rise and weather conditions change. The findings from Beal's study are also critical for maintaining healthy seed banks, which protect against catastrophic crop failures and global food crises. Knowing what factors allow a seed to be more resilient, how to make it last longer, and how to "bring it back to life" could be a matter of life or death.What an exciting line of work and an incredible honor to be a part of the team that gets to unearth the next bottle sometime around the year 2040. There are only a few left in the ground, making the collection most likely a once-in-a-lifetime scientific opportunity.