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The evolution of bacteria by Kevin Blake

2026-05-21 · 15:00 UTC ·Works in Progress ·0 min read

Brief

The evolution of bacteria is a narrated, illustrated article/video by Kevin Blake (read by Stuart Ritchie) showing how fast microbial generations let researchers 'speed up Darwin’s clock' and watch adaptation unfold in hours. The presentation summarizes experimental-evolution evidence that reshapes our understanding of natural selection and links to images and graphs at the Works in Progress article page.

Why it matters

Microbial populations can produce new generations in hours, allowing laboratory experiments to observe evolution in real time rather than over millennia.

Key details

  • The piece — an illustrated narrated article by Kevin Blake, read by Stuart Ritchie — was published 2026-05-21 on Works in Progress; images and graphs are available at https://worksinprogress.co/issue/the-evolution-of-bacteria-2/.
Source evidence

Generations of microbes evolve in hours, not millennia. By speeding up Darwin’s clock, scientists have watched evolution happen in real time, and it’s changed how we understand natural selection. You can see the images, graphs and read the article at https://worksinprogress.co/issue/the-evolution-of-bacteria-2/

And you can find the rest of Works in Progress at worksinprogress.co

Words by Kevin Blake
Read by Stuart Ritchie
Music by David Hackett

Channel: Works in Progress
Published: 2026-05-21
Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaKkR7Nfgzo