Since 1879, botanists at Michigan State University (MSU) have been taking part in one of the most mysterious plant experiments. This prestigious university institution in the northeastern United States hides many secrets.
Twenty glass bottles were buried by American botanist William James Beal, who wanted to study the long-term longevity of the seeds. Until 1920, a container was exhumed every five years. Sixty years later, researchers extended the period to twenty years, the rule that applies today.
One hundred and forty-four years after the first seeds were placed, new discoveries reveal the fascinating properties of so-called “zombie” seeds that alternate stages of life and death.
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A strange genetic mix
In a study published Oct. 9 in the prestigious American Journal of Botany, MSU researchers revealed that they had discovered a hybrid plant species. A disturbing find whose DNA had not yet been discovered in 1879.
The initiator, William Beal, would certainly have been surprised by the hybrid species, the result of a genetic mix of Verbascum thapsus and Verbascum blatteria.
The first represents a two-meter-high arrangement of yellow flowers with medicinal properties. Its cousin has some differences. It is smaller and has glabrous, toothed leaves.
Next research in 2040?
How can we explain this appearance of Verbascum? According to researchers, this was due to an analysis error by William Beal. The botanist would have confused an ordinary seed with a Verbascum thapsus seed.
The latter were called “zombies”. “(They) can stay in the soil for an incredibly long time, seemingly dead, and then suddenly germinate,” Marjorie Weber, a 2021 professor of plant biology, said on the MSU website.
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The experience has certainly not yet revealed all the botanical curiosities. There are four bottles left for analysis. The next test will be carried out in 2040. However, schedules could change by then. “If the seeds germinate again during our next excavation, we will need to consider extending the period between bottle collections to every thirty years,” warned project leader, biology professor David Lowry, in a statement.
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