It’s hard to believe that Escherichia coli could have any secrets left.

For over a century, scientists have picked the microbe apart–sequencing its genes, cracking its genetic code, running experiments on its metabolism, earning Nobel Prizes off of it, and turning it into, arguably, the most-studied organism in history.

But as deep as scientists dive, they have yet to touch bottom. That’s in part because Escherichia coli is not fixed. It continues to evolve, and even in the most carefully controlled experiments, evolution leaves behind a complicated history. Continue reading “Evolution Hidden in Plain Sight” →

Before 1947, a few clippings of Franciscan manzanita had ended up in nurseries. Today you can buy the plant online. But the nursery form is the result of hybridization and extreme breeding; it’s now about as much like wild Franciscan manzanita as a German shepherd is like a wolf. It’s unlikely it could survive in the wild anymore. For thousands of years, wild Franciscan manzanita had grown luxuriantly in the prairies that carpeted much of the California coast. Now the wild plants were all gone–or almost, it turned out.

Before Gluesenkamp’s discovery, the U.S. government officially listed Franciscan manzanita as extinct in the wild. But then three organizations–the Wild Equity Institute, Center for Biological Diversity, and California Native Plant Society–petitioned the U.S. government to change its status. In 2012, the Fish and Wildlife Service agreed to the request and reclassified Franciscan manzanita from extinct to  endangered. Its known wild population was precisely one. Continue reading “Does a Woolly Mammoth Need a Lawyer?” →

Insects and tropical plants are locked in an endless battle, featuring daggers, ant mercenaries, and chemical weapons. But as ugly as the fight can become, there may be a lovely consequence. Some researchers argue that the pests in the tropics play a major role in fostering the overwhelming diversity of the rain forest. For more details, check out my “Matter” column this week in the New York Times.check out my “Matter” column this week in the New York Times.check out my “Matter” column this week in the New York Times.

(Thanks to Elizabeth Kolbert for the headline!) Continue reading “What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Speciate: My First New York Times Column of 2014” →