Is it Alive? Investigation Reflection
In the Is it Alive? Experiment, we used many different types of biology available to biologists. We used microscopes, slides, cover slips, bromothymol blue and methylene blue. They definitely helped answer the question: is it made of cells? Also, they helped identify whether or not the unknown was converting energy. The bromothymol blue changed color which made it known that carbon dioxide was present while the methylene blue made it easier to see the cell walls. One problem that we encountered during our investigation was that we at first didn't think that our unknown was growing in soil, since growth is a long process. So, we had to wait and keep watching in order to see if anything would happen. I would have given us a longer period of time to watch our unknown grow. If we had that opportunity, we would've known it was a flower and possible which type of flower.
The independent variables in our investigation were the environments we tried to grow the unknown in: fresh and salt water, soil and sand. The dependent variables were the amount of growth shown in each environment. Our control for the experiment was the unknown left plainly in a plastic cup with nothing in it and no covers. The stimulus in our experiment was water. Each environment had water and it did cause growth, without it, the unknown may not have grown at all. I would call our conclusion that our unknown was alive, a fact. While it was already known that plants are indeed living organisms, we simply proved it in our experiment. What I've learned from this lab is that making sure that everyone is working and not simply watching can make a huge difference and also not to make any assumptions before conducting your experiment because it is likely that you may be wrong.
Click to View the Is it Alive? Powerpoint
I love the fact that your blog states that we cannot make assumptions blindly in science before conducting experiments. Many people forget this and blindly take on faith that things that need to be experimented on. I found that my group would have needed more time to monitor our species as well, because it had just burst out of its egg. My group didn't need to stain the slides, nor did our unknown grow in every water environment that we put it in. One constructive criticism I have for you is that there are no facts in science. Nothing can be proven, only theories can be concocted. I would recommend that you not state anything you do in science as a fact.
ReplyDelete