Alu test Lab
Objective: The purpose of this lab was to extract our DNA to see if we had the repeating gene sequence Alu in our DNA.
Hypothesis: If there is three different genotypes we could have, then not everyone in our classroom will have the same genotype. We could have either ++(homozygous), +-(heterozygous), or --(homozygous).
Hypothesis: If there is three different genotypes we could have, then not everyone in our classroom will have the same genotype. We could have either ++(homozygous), +-(heterozygous), or --(homozygous).
Materials:
Methods/Procedure:
This is a link to the procedure that we used for our lab: http://babec.org/?q=node/7
1. We started extracting our DNA by swishing a saline solution in our mouths and spitting it into a cup.
2. We then transferred 1000 uL of it into a labeled tube
3. Then we spun the solution until a small pellets formed on the bottom
4. Pour out the supernatant, but not the pellet cell
5. We took 50 microliters of chelex and put it into our mix
6. Then we put the tubes on a heat block for 10 minutes
7. Then we extracted 50 microliters of this and separated it from the rest
8.Then we put 20 microliters each of the master and primer mixes into the separated bit
9. Place the tube in the thermal cycle
10. Spin tube for ten seconds
11. Add dye to PCR tube
12. Make the gel and let it harden
13. Load the DNA mixture into the gel
14. Put the gel into the gel box
15. Turn power on for 20-45 minutes in 150 volts
16. Stain gel and photograph
- Student cheek cells
- 0.9% saline solution
- 5% chelex
- Primer mix
- Master mix
- TBE buffer
- Agarose gel
- DNA stain
- Positive control DNA
- Base pair ladder
Methods/Procedure:
This is a link to the procedure that we used for our lab: http://babec.org/?q=node/7
1. We started extracting our DNA by swishing a saline solution in our mouths and spitting it into a cup.
2. We then transferred 1000 uL of it into a labeled tube
3. Then we spun the solution until a small pellets formed on the bottom
4. Pour out the supernatant, but not the pellet cell
5. We took 50 microliters of chelex and put it into our mix
6. Then we put the tubes on a heat block for 10 minutes
7. Then we extracted 50 microliters of this and separated it from the rest
8.Then we put 20 microliters each of the master and primer mixes into the separated bit
9. Place the tube in the thermal cycle
10. Spin tube for ten seconds
11. Add dye to PCR tube
12. Make the gel and let it harden
13. Load the DNA mixture into the gel
14. Put the gel into the gel box
15. Turn power on for 20-45 minutes in 150 volts
16. Stain gel and photograph
Results:
The results from this experiment were that I am heterozygous(+-). This means that I have one parent with the alu gene and one that doesn't.
Conclusion:
This was a very fun lab to do. I never knew how difficult it was to use a micro pipet. You have to be very precise with your measurements when you are working with that little of liquid. It was really cool finding out what if I had the alu gene in me. As you saw in my results I was heterozygous.
The results from this experiment were that I am heterozygous(+-). This means that I have one parent with the alu gene and one that doesn't.
Conclusion:
This was a very fun lab to do. I never knew how difficult it was to use a micro pipet. You have to be very precise with your measurements when you are working with that little of liquid. It was really cool finding out what if I had the alu gene in me. As you saw in my results I was heterozygous.
Animal phyla dissection
Link to page: /animal-phyla-dissection.html
Terrarium lab
Objective/Introduction:
To create a functioning terrarium that contains a producer and consumer.
Hypothesis/Specific Question:
Can we create a functioning terrarium and have a thriving ecosystem?
Materials:
Glass fish bowl
Snail
Sagina
Lettuce plant and seeds
Soil
Rocks
A broken pot
Calcium bone
Worms
Method/Procedure:
Results:
Day 0 Observations: We put in our materials and started watering the plants.
Day 1 Observations: We watered our plants again and realized they needed more water. The snail is still not in the terrarium.
Day 6 Observations: We watered our plants again and all of them are surviving. Still no snail.
To create a functioning terrarium that contains a producer and consumer.
Hypothesis/Specific Question:
Can we create a functioning terrarium and have a thriving ecosystem?
Materials:
Glass fish bowl
Snail
Sagina
Lettuce plant and seeds
Soil
Rocks
A broken pot
Calcium bone
Worms
Method/Procedure:
- Place the rocks at the bottom of the bowl.
- Fill the bowl with soil
- Plant the lettuce seeds
- Plant the sagina and the lettuce plant
- Put in the rocks and broken pot
- Put in snail
- Cover top with some kind of netting so that the snail can't escape, but can still breath
Results:
Day 0 Observations: We put in our materials and started watering the plants.
Day 1 Observations: We watered our plants again and realized they needed more water. The snail is still not in the terrarium.
Day 6 Observations: We watered our plants again and all of them are surviving. Still no snail.
Week 2 Observations: We know have the snail in and he is liking his new habitat. The lettuce plant is working well.
Week 3 Observations: The snail ate through the first lettuce plant so we had to plant another one in. The snail is still fine and the sagina is still alive.
Week 4 Observations: The snail has eaten most of the lettuce plant and the sagina is not looking so good. The snail is still fine though.
Week 5 Observations: The snail has gone through another lettuce plant so know we just give him individual lettuce leaves know to eat. The sagina is dead know. The snail is still alive.
Analysis:
Some limiting factors that have effected our terrarium were the size of it, the amount of stuff we could put in their, and the amount of sunlight it got. Since the terrarium was a little small, the snail didn't have a lot of room to move around. We also put a lot of things in the terrarium, so the ground was packed with stuff. The snail spent most of the time on the wall because of this. Since our terrariums were inside they didn't get a lot of sunlight and as a result, they didn't grow as well as they could have. If we had put them outside the would have grown better. The nutrient cycle in the terrarium was that the water and sunlight was used by the lettuce plant and the sagina. The snail would then eat the lettuce plant and get its nutrients from the lettuce. The water cycle in the terrarium is that we put water in the soil and then the lettuce plant and the sagina would absorb it. The snail would then eat the lettuce and get the water from that. The carbon cycle in the terrarium is that the lettuce plant and the sagina get carbon through photosynthesis, and then the snail gets its carbon through eating the lettuce. Then as the snail breathes, it puts the carbon back into the atmosphere. The nitrogen cycle in our terrarium is that the lettuce plant and sagina get their nitrogen through the fertilizer in the soil. The snail then eats the lettuce and the nitrogen transfers to them. When the snail excretes, the nitrogen is put back in the soil and the cycle continues.
Some limiting factors that have effected our terrarium were the size of it, the amount of stuff we could put in their, and the amount of sunlight it got. Since the terrarium was a little small, the snail didn't have a lot of room to move around. We also put a lot of things in the terrarium, so the ground was packed with stuff. The snail spent most of the time on the wall because of this. Since our terrariums were inside they didn't get a lot of sunlight and as a result, they didn't grow as well as they could have. If we had put them outside the would have grown better. The nutrient cycle in the terrarium was that the water and sunlight was used by the lettuce plant and the sagina. The snail would then eat the lettuce plant and get its nutrients from the lettuce. The water cycle in the terrarium is that we put water in the soil and then the lettuce plant and the sagina would absorb it. The snail would then eat the lettuce and get the water from that. The carbon cycle in the terrarium is that the lettuce plant and the sagina get carbon through photosynthesis, and then the snail gets its carbon through eating the lettuce. Then as the snail breathes, it puts the carbon back into the atmosphere. The nitrogen cycle in our terrarium is that the lettuce plant and sagina get their nitrogen through the fertilizer in the soil. The snail then eats the lettuce and the nitrogen transfers to them. When the snail excretes, the nitrogen is put back in the soil and the cycle continues.