E. coli, the most studied microbe of all time, was first discovered in baby poop by German pediatrician Theodor Escherich in 1885. He had been isolating microbes from newborn baby feces to study the effects of breastfeeding on gut health. He originally called the cells 'bacterium coli commune,' though the name was later changed to Escherichia coli in his honor. Before World War II, few scientists used E. coli in their experiments. But in the 1950s, at the dawn of molecular biology, scientists gained a new appreciation for it after searching for organisms that were easy to work with and quick to grow. Escherich's microbe, which divides in just 20 minutes and can thrive in a plethora of liquids, fit the bill. In 1952, when the famous Hershey-Chase experiment indicated that DNA'and not protein'was the source of genetic material, just 285 papers mentioned E. coli. But the bacterium's prevalence swelled from there. Last year, more than 14,000 articles reported the use of E. coli, and the...
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