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The experiment that started 144 years ago 持续144年的科学实验

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Every 20 years, a team of scientists at Michigan State University go out in the dead of night, follow an ancient treasure map, dig a hole, and pull out a bottle of seeds.

每隔二十年，美国密歇根州立大学的一组科学家就会在夜深人静时出门，沿着一张古老藏宝图上指示的路线走到目的地，挖一个洞，并从洞中取出一瓶种子。

They were planted by a man called William Beal nearly 150 years ago.

这些种子是近150年前由一个叫威廉·比尔的人埋在地下的。

He wanted to know how long seeds could survive underground before they just wouldn't germinate any more.

他想知道种子可以在地下存活多久后会停止发芽。

That's the question behind one of the longest-running science experiments in human history.

而这个问题也正是使人们进行人类历史上持续时间最长的科学实验之一的原因。

So, he collected thousands of fresh seeds and packed them into 20 bottles.

为了回答这个问题，威廉·比尔收集了数千颗新鲜种子，装进20个瓶子里。

His plan was to dig up the bottles every few years, plant the seeds, and see if they grow.

他原本的计划是每隔几年从地下挖出瓶子，取出种子种下，看看它们会不会发芽。

And that's what he did and the experiment is still running. It's been going for 144 years.

他生前就是这样做的，而这项实验仍在进行中。至今已持续了144年。

So, how are the seeds doing? Well, it's a mixed bag.

现在这些种子怎么样了？情况是好坏参半。

Some have never germinated. Some are germinating, but the numbers that are germinating are decreasing over time. And some are germinating as successfully now as they did at the start of the experiment – they don't seem to be affected by the passage of time.

有一些种子从未发芽。有一些种子在发芽，但发芽种子的数量正在随着时间的推移减少。还有一些种子到现在也能成功发芽，情况与实验开始时一样好，这些种子似乎不受时间的影响。

So, scientists still haven't been able to answer Beal's original question.

由此看来，科学家们现在还无法回答威廉·比尔最初提出的那个问题。