In a bold attempt to fill the gaps in evolution, scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology are conducting a groundbreaking experiment by directing single-celled yeasts to evolve into complex multicellular clusters.
Imagine a group of scientists gathered in a laboratory and using the magic of science to accelerate evolution. They deal with simple unicellular life forms, trying to persuade them to become complex multicellular life forms. Results? The lab-grown yeast evolved into mega-organisms that were 20,000 times larger and 10,000 times more powerful.
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Forget the monkey-like creature that usually comes to mind when you hear the “missing link.” There is another more breathtaking gap in the evolutionary chain. This transition from unicellular to multicellular beings is an important milestone in the great journey of life on Earth.
Scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology took on the task of filling this gap. They embarked on an ambitious experiment whose aim was to manipulate single-celled life forms to evolve into multicellular ones. We’ve already seen directed evolution experiments – they’ve been going on for decades and even won the 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. But they were often aimed at creating new drugs or solving specific problems, not filling gaps in our centuries-old family tree.
Dubbed the MuLTEE (Multicellularity Long Term Evolution Experiment), the experiment began with a humble, single-celled organism known as snowflake yeast. The scientists kept the yeast in constantly rocking incubators and created a kind of mini roller coaster ride for the yeast. Each day, they selected the fastest and most growing colonies for further breeding, essentially playing matchmaking and choosing the winners in the survival game of the fittest.
And so, after about 3,000 rounds of this yeast version of The Hunger Games, the yeast clustered into clusters of over 500,000 cells. Now these clusters were 20,000 times larger and as hard as wood. Yes our little yeast is working and growing in the gym!
Scientists took a closer look to understand the secret of yeast. They found that the yeast cells lengthened, making more room for each other and reducing the “wrinkling” factor. This change allowed the clusters to expand in size without breaking apart like overflowing water balloons.
But there was something else at work here. The growth was too great to be explained by that alone. So the team took a closer look using a scanning electron microscope, which is actually a super magnifying glass.
“We discovered an entirely new physical mechanism that allows these yeast clumps to expand so much,” says Ozan Bozdag, lead author of the study. “Yeast cells intertwine like vines, reinforcing the entire structure.”
While super yeast hasn’t yet mastered all the tricks of a multicellular organism, this ivy-like mess seems like a big step in the right direction. The experiment is not over yet and it is possible that we may see more yeast breakthroughs in the future.
Previously, Focus wrote about interesting colonists. A mushroom colony was found in da Vinci’s self-portrait.
Source: Focus
Ashley Fitzgerald is an accomplished journalist in the field of technology. She currently works as a writer at 24 news breaker. With a deep understanding of the latest technology developments, Ashley’s writing provides readers with insightful analysis and unique perspectives on the industry.