Blog 22: Error

Unfortunately this experiment contained many errors, both human and experimental. One of the human errors was that the experiment was supposed to be based on E. coli breaking down the apples, but instead a different bacteria called Bracillus cereus was used in its place. One major experimental error was that four of the petri dishes from the second batch of agar had been contaminated with foreign bacteria. This brought up question on whether or not the previous petri dishes had also been contaminated. Another problem was that the apple slices had to be placed directly into the agar after they had been soaked which left traces of water in the petri dishes. This causes some inconsistencies is the firmness of the agar. Condensation in the petri dishes posed a problem since they began to dry out at different rates. By the third day of the experiment some of the dishes showed signs that they would dry out completely and it became necessary to seal the edges of the petri dishes. This could affect the final dry mass that was measured.

Blog 21: Research Significance

One way that this experiment is significant is to see if a higher sugar is a factor in decomposition of organic materials. This could help determine how long it takes for food waste to decomposed based on sugar content. This would be helpful for those who wished to start a compost pile to estimate how long it would take to break down certain foods and plan accordinly. This experiment closely ecology and how different organism react to each other by breaking down dead organisms. While there are many different factors that play a role in decomposition, sugar levels could help derive a connection between bacteria and the time it takes to break down an organism. 

Blog 20

Unfortunately the apples in the petri-dishes have not been dried and weighed yet. The apple slices will be taken out soon and set to dry. Until then the group must work on creating a control apple in the agar so there is a way to measure the effect of sugar content in the apples. Data will be added later once all the measurement are taken.

Blog 19: Observations

So far in the experiment we have successfully grown bacteria on the agar. Since receive test tubes containing E. coli were not received the experiment will continue with a different species of bacteria. The bacteria were examined under a microscope and rod shaped bacteria was identified on the slide. On the first day the Petri dishes containing the apples on the agar were very runny, but by the second day all of them had dried. To prevent them from drying out even further each Petri dish was sealed before being placed back into the incubator. So far the apples slices are turning brown and the bacteria have formed waves on the surface of the agar. The apple slices have also begun to give off a pungent odor when the Petri dishes as opened.

Bacteria under the microscope

Blog 17

Research from the E. coli experiment will be updated on the google file and shared with the team to track the experiment's progress.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1X1FOZLqyhzhU6LMIHfx9OFUkAWegmY6pjWiITcDtsAs/edit

The Effects of Sunlight: Fast Plant vs. Yellow Green

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1MmIWfotROevJcPOHB1gqxnVh_DBX9OgMiXtTVuA3CRg/edit

Blog 15 E. coli

E. coli are a form of bacteria that is found in human intestines. While E. coli has a bad reputation, in fact most are harmless and are an important part of the intestinal tract. The human body depends on E. coli to absorb Vitamin K and B complexes. However some E. coli can be extremely harmful and can cause hemorrhaging. These harmful E. coli come from being infected with a bacteria virus that can insert itself into the E. coli's DNA like E. coli O157:H7. E. coli cells are typically rode-shaped and 2 microns.

E. Coli is often used as a model organism in studies of microbiology and cultivated in a laboratory setting.  It also has many advantages like that it's easy to grow, has a fast growth rate, and has well established genetics. Many scientist have done tests on E. coli making it the organism that most is known about. E. coli is also a simple organism which makes it easier to study and isolate parts of its system for testing and research.