Michigan scientist buried seeds in 1879; some still grew 142 years later in an experiment lasting to 2100

Michigan State University botanist William James Beal buried 20 glass bottles filled with seeds In 1879, Michigan State University botanist William James Beal buried 20 glass bottles filled with seeds and sand in an effort to answer a deceptively simple question: how long could seeds remain dormant in the soil and still grow when conditions became favourable? According to Michigan State University, more than a century later, the experiment was still producing surprises. In 2021, researchers at Michigan State University unearthed one of the remaining bottles, 142 years after it was buried, and found that some of the seeds could still germinate. The discovery offered a rare glimpse into the extraordinary longevity of seeds and showed why Beal’s experiment remains scientifically relevant more than a century after it began. With bottles still underground, the experiment is scheduled to continue through 2100, making it one of the world’s longest-running scientific experiments.A question from 1879Beal designed the experiment to help farmers understand how long unwanted plants could persist in soil. His concern was practical: if weed seeds could remain dormant for decades, simply removing...