Michigan, US

Back in 1879, scientist William Beal buried bottles with seeds in them to understand how long seeds can last. Recently, researchers from Michigan State University (MSU) dug up one of these bottles and found that some seeds were still growing. 

Advertisment

Beal buried 20 bottles with over a thousand seeds each, and the goal was to help farmers deal with weeds. The bottles were buried in a way that water wouldn't collect in them. Originally, they planned to dig up a bottle every five years, but now they do it every 20 years.

Even though the experiment is really old, some seeds from the latest bottle were still able to grow. This is amazing because it shows that very old seeds can still sprout and become plants. Plant biologist Frank Telewski said he was surprised that something so old could still grow.

"The biggest surprise to me is that the seeds germinated again," says plant biologist Frank Telewski, from MSU. "It's amazing that something so old can still grow."

Advertisment

Also read | In major breakthrough, scientists discover ‘kill switch' that can kill cancer

Genetic testing

Researchers at MSU used new technology to look at the genes of the plants grown from these old seeds. This is the first time they've done this, and it helped them confirm that these plants are the same as the ones Beal described.

Advertisment

Also read | Cat parasite could be responsible for fragility in some older adults, says study

There are still four bottles left to be dug up, and they plan to keep doing this until the year 2100. The bottles are kept in a secret place so that no one else can open them. This helps make sure that the research is accurate and not changed by anyone, according to Science Alert. 

(With inputs from agencies)