The class took a trip to the Centers for Molecular Medicine to meet Dr. Beth Watson. In the lab, Dr. Watson gave a presentation on the type of ecological work that she does, which includes mapping the ecological terrain of many different places and making a timeline into the future on what would happen to such terrain, and creating plans to counter the catastrophic events of the sea levels. Dr. Watson also told us a little bit about herself and her history on how she got to where she is today. After the presentations, Dr. Watson had prepared slides of different cells and had samples of different flowers, and plant specimens that she grew up with.
Two different types of microscopes were provided in the lab, and students were allowed to explore the miniature world within the cells of the plants and slides provided. Shown below are just some samples taken under a microscope.
Going back to the main project, Hidden Kingdoms, I have decided to explore the world of bacteria.
Bacteria and animals have a symbiotic relationship in which the animals keep the bacteria well fed and the bacteria provide the animals with a certain type of feature. One type of bacteria in particular is bioluminescent bacteria, which this type of bacteria emit a glow. To many, this glow provides them with light, which would keep many safe and allow for others to see in the darkness where they dwell.
For my project, I created a model of an angler fish that dwells in the deep darkness of the ocean. The angler fish contains bioluminescent bacteria in its little bulb, which helps the angler fish attract prey and find potential mates.
