What happens to bacteria if you grow them for 37 years?

The Long-Term E.coli Evolution Experiment is one of the coolest experiments I've seen to date. Pioneered by Richard Lenski in the 1980s - this experiment seeks to answer a very basic question - what happens to E.coli when you let it grow indefinitely? It turns out, for me the most interesting aspects of this experiment was NOT in what the experiment promised to study, but the happy little accidents that enabled insight into how evolution works at a molecular level. Become a member and support free, high level education for all!    / @phylumchannel   Follow me on Bluesky! https://bsky.app/profile/neutralphil.... Thank you to ‪@CynicalCopycat‬ for the end card art! Business Inquiries: [email protected] Sources: VAUGHN RH, OSBORNE JT, WEDDING GT, TABACHNICK J, BEISEL CG, BRAXTON T. The utilization of citrate by Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1950 Aug;60(2):119-27. doi: 10.1128/jb.60.2.119-127.1950. PMID: 14774362; PMCID: PMC385854. Van Hofwegen DJ, Hovde CJ, Minnich SA. Rapid Evolution of Citrate Utilization by Escherichia coli by Direct Selection Requires citT and dctA. J Bacteriol. 2016 Feb 1;198(7):1022-34. doi: 10.1128/JB.00831-15. PMID: 26833416; PMCID: PMC4800869. Blount ZD, Borland CZ, Lenski RE. Historical contingency and the evolution of a key innovation in an experimental population of Escherichia coli. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008 Jun 10;105(23):7899-906. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0803151105. Epub 2008 Jun 4. PMID: 18524956; PMCID: PMC2430337. Lenski, R.E. Revisiting the Design of the Long-Term Evolution Experiment with Escherichia coli. J Mol Evol 91, 241–253 (2023). Van Hofwegen DJ, Hovde CJ, Minnich SA. Rapid Evolution of Citrate Utilization by Escherichia coli by Direct Selection Requires citT and dctA. J Bacteriol. 2016 Feb 1;198(7):1022-34. doi: 10.1128/JB.00831-15. PMID: 26833416; PMCID: PMC4800869. HUSSEIN, S., HANTKE, K. and BRAUN, V. (1981), Citrate-Dependent Iron Transport System in Escherichia coli K-12. European Journal of Biochemistry, 117: 431-437. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1432-1033.1... Assets Images & Video Pexels Adobe Stock Pixabay Irasutoya & Toxo's own art! Audio YouTube Music Library Pixabay