The Secret Mission To Unearth Part Of A 142-Year-Old Experiment
Scientists in Michigan went out in the dead of night to dig up part of an unusual long-term experiment. It's a research study that started in 1879 and is handed from one generation to the next.
It was four 4 o'clock in the morning, well before sunrise, and cold. A light wintry mix of rain and snow was falling. The lousy weather was a relief, as it meant even less of a chance that someone might randomly pass by. The small group of scientists didn't want anyone to see what they were about to do.
They'd brought flashlights, a shovel, a trowel, a tape measure, and an old map. The map looked more like a blueprint than a pirate's guide to buried treasure. Still, it did show the secret location of something precious stashed away underground.
The researchers had gathered together to dig up part of an experiment: an unusual, long-term experiment that started in 1879, on the campus of what is now Michigan State
