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From Here to Eternity—The Theory and Practice of a Really Long Experiment

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  • Jeremy W Fox
  • Richard E Lenski

Abstract

In February 1988, Richard Lenski set up 12 replicate populations of a single genotype of Escherichia coli in a simple nutrient medium. He has been following their evolution ever since. Here, Lenski answers provocative questions from Jeremy Fox about his iconic "Long-Term Evolution Experiment" (LTEE). The LTEE is a remarkable case study of the interplay of determinism and chance in evolution—and in the conduct of science.Richard Lenski has been running his long-term evolution experiment for over 27 years. In this interview, ecologist Jeremy Fox asks him how and why he does it.

Suggested Citation

  • Jeremy W Fox & Richard E Lenski, 2015. "From Here to Eternity—The Theory and Practice of a Really Long Experiment," PLOS Biology, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(6), pages 1-9, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pbio00:1002185
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1002185
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Paul D. Sniegowski & Philip J. Gerrish & Richard E. Lenski, 1997. "Evolution of high mutation rates in experimental populations of E. coli," Nature, Nature, vol. 387(6634), pages 703-705, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Richard E. Lenski & Terence C. Burnham, 2018. "Experimental evolution of bacteria across 60,000 generations, and what it might mean for economics and human decision-making," Journal of Bioeconomics, Springer, vol. 20(1), pages 107-124, April.

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