OpenEvo: An Open-Source Platform for Automated Evolution and Analysis
- Open access
OpenEvo enables cost-effective, fully automated evolution experiments, demonstrated by evolving H. volcanii to grow faster under salt stress with 36% increased growth rate.
- Why it matters: Current tools for continuous evolution are expensive, complex, or lack open-source options, limiting accessibility and customization for researchers and educators.
- What they did: OpenEvo is a $300 open-source platform with detailed instructions, software, and firmware, supporting various media cycles and optional remote control, validated through salt tolerance and optogenetics experiments over thousands of hours.
- The result: The platform lowers barriers to conducting evolution studies, enhances educational opportunities, and fosters a collaborative community sharing modifications and improvements.