Talk about a long scientific experiment*. Japanese researchers have bred an unusual line of fruit fly called "Dark-fly" which has been kept in constant darkness for 57 years (1,400 generations). They've sequenced the Dark-fly's genome and are now figuring out the genomic alterations linked to adaptation to living in the dark.

Via Fogonazos

*The longest running science experiment is the famous Pitch Drop experiment, started in 1927 by University of Queensland professor Thomas Parnell.