Scientists Induce Evolution of Multicellular Yeast
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| (Image by AZAdam) |
(From the Discover Magazine blog)
Natural selection is the process by which organisms well-suited to a particular environment reproduce at a faster rate than their competitors. In this experiment, the scientists engaged in artificial selection by creating an environment which made it very difficult for lone yeast cells to survive, thus encouraging the proliferation of cells with adaptations conducive to colonial life. They did this by suspending the cells in tubes of liquid and then centrifuging them, which forced clumped cells down to the bottom of the tube,