Discovery inside unearthed bottle would've shocked Michigander who buried it in 1879
In 2021, MSU scientists dug up the 16th bottle in the Beal seed experiment, but further research has recently revealed a new hybrid surprise.
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In 2021, MSU scientists dug up the 16th bottle in the Beal seed experiment, but further research has recently revealed a new hybrid surprise.
Researchers at Michigan State University are learning more about the intricacies of seeds and doing their part for an experiment that stretches back more than a century and is scheduled to last until the next one.
All the way back in 1879, botanist William Beal of Michigan State University (MSU) buried 20 bottles to start an experiment on seed longevity.
Two years after Michigan State University plant scientists met at an undisclosed area on campus to dig up a bottle containing seeds buried more than 144 years ago by MSU botanist William J. Beal, molecular genetic testing has confirmed a hybrid plant was accidentally included among the seeds in the bottle.
Seeds buried in bottles 144 years ago still germinate, discover researchers. The experiment continues.