Not the longest, but my favorite long-running experiment is the <i>E. coli</i> LTEE: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._coli_long-term_evolution_experiment" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._coli_long-term_evolution_ex...</a><p>EDIT: I just realized that the LTEE and Beal’s experiment are being conducted at the same place, Michigan State University!
I find this both reassuring and terrifying. It's reassuring because if life was completely wiped out on the planet there would be trillions of seeds waiting for the right conditions to germinate and repopulate the Earth with life.<p>It's terrifying because why would this have evolved?
A very good episode on Science Vs podcast on this very subject.<p><a href="https://gimletmedia.com/shows/science-vs/emhxgkd/a-seedy-latenight-adventure" rel="nofollow">https://gimletmedia.com/shows/science-vs/emhxgkd/a-seedy-lat...</a>
Presumably the curators of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault [1] regularly test (or at least intend to as it is fairly new) the efficacy of their storage for different types of seeds?<p>1. <a href="https://www.regjeringen.no/en/topics/food-fisheries-and-agriculture/svalbard-global-seed-vault/id462220/" rel="nofollow">https://www.regjeringen.no/en/topics/food-fisheries-and-agri...</a>
Don't forget the 2000-year old date seed that sprouted!<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judean_date_palm" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judean_date_palm</a>
I despise articles written like this<p><i>Clickbait Headline</i><p><i>informative intro</i><p>Real Article Begins: Once upon a time…<p>Please just tell me the information, I’m not here to read a story
I recall an episode of a daily TV series in Japan where they found seeds from a several thousand year old archaeological dig, which yielded a still viable magnolia tree when planted today.<p>And there was that story just recently about bacteria found in the deep mantle, dormant for a couple million (?) years, that grew when cultured.<p>Amazing how patiently life can wait for the moment to be revived again, with no promise or knowledge of when the day may come.
The Beal garden is but a few miles from my house. Today is Dr. Beal's birthday and because of this little experiment he is remembered 97 years after his death far more than any of his peers.<p>If you're ever in East Lansing it's worth visiting Beal garden which is next to the campus library. It's so picturesque that students have their weddings there.