Citrate eating E. Coli

One reason bacteria are so useful for studying evolution is that their character and quantity make it possible to observe their mutations in real time. Recently, a team at Michigan State University observed the emergence of a complex new ability in E. Coli bacteria.

[S]ometime around the 31,500th generation, something dramatic happened in just one of the populations – the bacteria suddenly acquired the ability to metabolise citrate, a second nutrient in their culture medium that E. coli normally cannot use.

Indeed, the inability to use citrate is one of the traits by which bacteriologists distinguish E. coli from other species.

The bacteria came from one of twelve cultures that started growing twenty years ago. Since frozen samples have been taken at intervals of 500 generations, it should be possible to sequence the bacterial DNA and identify when and perhaps how the mutation took place. That could offer some interesting insight into how complex biochemical pathways emerge.

Author: Milan

In the spring of 2005, I graduated from the University of British Columbia with a degree in International Relations and a general focus in the area of environmental politics. In the fall of 2005, I began reading for an M.Phil in IR at Wadham College, Oxford. Outside school, I am very interested in photography, writing, and the outdoors. I am writing this blog to keep in touch with friends and family around the world, provide a more personal view of graduate student life in Oxford, and pass on some lessons I've learned here. View all posts by Milan