The Building Blocks of Biology

Assignment1

Virtual Lab Report

Assignment1: Identify two different types of organisms that you have seen interacting, such as bees and flowers. I will also accept experiments based on an organism interacting with its environment, such as that described in your text -- flies and meat. You can investigate the effect of any environmental factor on an organism, these might include light, sound, air quality, food preference, or nutrient quantity or quality.

In your Virtual Lab Report, you should include the observation that led you to a hypothesis. Then you should describe the experiment you would do to test your hypothesis. Be sure to include controls, and describe the variables that would remain constant and the one that you want to test. (Remember, you can only test one variable at a time.) Include the type of data you would collect. The next section would be your expected results. Then you need to state what your conclusion would be depending on those results. Finally, do you accept or reject your hypothesis?

Introduction:

During summer last year, I had a rash, more like pimples only on my right cheek. I thought it was because of the heat. Although this was the first time I ever had such kind of skin problem, I didn’t pay much attention. An aunt told me that it could be because of the pillow and not the heat. To my surprise, after basking my pillowcase in the sun for a day, the rash or pimples started to disappear! It is common sense that exposing clothes to direct sunlight not only makes the clothes smell fresh, but also ...

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Introduction:

Hypothesis:

My hypothesis is that micro organisms inhabit the part of the pillow used more often and infects the skin. Exposing the suspected materials to sunlight may prevent this.

Methods:

Cut a piece of the pillow (unwashed for a week); cut this piece into two equal parts (2 cm2). Cut the same size from a washed and clean pillowcase (2 nos.). Expose 1 unwashed piece and 1 washed piece to sunlight for 10 hours and keep the other 2 pieces inside a house. Collect all four samples after 10 hours and inoculate directly to an already prepared sterilized agar media in a petridish. Incubate at room temperature for 3 days and observe for any bacterial growth. Count the bacterial growth under sterilized condition and record data. Keep it for another 4 days (that makes it 7 days) and repeat the observation for fungal growth.

Expected results:

I would expect the data to be like the following

Table 1: Number of bacterial or fungal count in each sample.

* cfu = Colony Forming Unit

Conclusion:

If I obtain the above data approximately, I would conclude that my hypothesis, that the rash or pimples is caused by micro organisms, is true. I would then suggest that exposing clothes to direct sunlight once in a while, especially those which are generally used away from sunlight, is a good practice to avoid unnecessary skin infection.

If the microbial growth count in the unwashed piece left unattended is equivalent to the growth count in the unwashed piece exposed to sunlight and the washed piece left unattended, then I would conclude that the rash or pimples on the skin is not necessarily caused by micro organisms and would reject my hypothesis.