Unseen World

Sesink Clee

The Unseen World

Methods:

Take two cotton swabs and wet one side of each so it could easily pick up bacteria from any surface it touches. Rub one swab on one object and rub the other on a different object, but make sure it is an object that can be compared to the first. Gently brush one side of the algar plate with one swab and the other side with the second swab. Label one side A and one side B. Let the plate sit for a week to allow the microbes to grow and reproduce. After it sits observe the colonized microbes on the macroscopic level and sketch the results. Remove the lid of the plate and using a toothpick, scrape up a little bit of one of the colonies. Take a slide, place a drop of water on it, and rub the toothpick onto the drop of water. Using a clothespin place the slide on the hotplate until all the water evaporates, leaving behind the microbes on the slide. When the water has finished evaporating add one drop of methylene blue and let it sit for one minute. Then take the slide and dip it into the three water dishes to rinse off the excess dye. Wipe the bottom of the slide with a kim wipe to dry it off, do not wipe off the microbes. Add a cover slip to the slide so it can be observed under a microscope. Using the microscope focus the sample under a lower objective. Once focused, straddle the nosepiece so that no objective is touching slide (100x nearest slide), add one drop of oil, and move 100x into place. Focus the lens using the fine adjustment knob and record the data. Perform this procedure for the remaining colonies of microbes inside the algar plate to determine its species.

Results:

For my experiment I chose compare the microbes on the microphone of my phone to the earpiece. I found five different types of bacteria in my sample. The five colonies were distinct on the macroscopic