On a classic episode of ID the Future, host Jonathan Witt speaks with molecular biologist and professor Dustin Van Hofwegen about his research into the engineered complexity in microbial life. The two sat down at the yearly Conference on Engineering in Living Systems to discuss the event, which brings together biologists and engineers to study how engineering principles can be applied to living things, as well as Hofwegen’s article in the Journal of Bacteriology, co-authored with Carolyn Hovde and Scott Minnich, based on research conducted at the University of Idaho. 

Hofwegen shares his research on the famous decades-long E. coli evolution experiment conducted by Richard Lenski, which showed the sudden appearance of an ability to utilize citrate after many generations. However, Van Hofwegen’s own experiments demonstrated that this “evolutionary innovation” could occur much faster and repeatedly under stressful conditions, suggesting it was not a random evolutionary leap but rather the activation of pre-existing genetic mechanisms, akin to flipping a switch. The discussion highlights that many biological “adaptations” may involve the use of innate abilities or the disruption of existing functions, rather than the creation of entirely new ones, supporting the idea of engineered complexity in microbial life. Download the podcast or listen to it here.

Dig Deeper

• Interested in the connection between engineering and biology? Learn more about this year’s Conference on Engineering in Living Systems.
• Take a deep dive with microbiologist Dr. Scott Minnich into why Lenski’s famous experiments don’t live up to the hype.