Germination experiment. These glass tubes, which contain 120 seeds and no air, are part of one of the world's longest-running experiments, initiated in 1937 by Professor F. W. West of the California Institute of Technology. He sealed 20 tubes, each containing around 120 different kinds of seeds, and marked with a date to be opened. On opening, the contents are checked to see if they have germinated. The experiment is due to last until 2307, and is currently being performed at the Agricultural Research Service's National seed Storage Laboratory in Colorado, USA.