Conversations - use this space to communicate about this project
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May 5, 2006 | 2:59 AM |
Dr. Martha E. Cook
(Scientist/Mentor)
Hi Zach, Charley, and Team 7 Thanks for posting the pictures. It looks like most of the seeds in water germinated, so I don’t think you had a problem with bad seeds. Certainly it could be more interesting to watch what happened if the plants were growing, however. What if you were to take your seedlings that germinated in water and try an experiment with them now? One of the ingredients in both the gatorade and the energy drink is sugar. What if you made several solutions with different concentrations of sugar (ie differrent water content) and tried growing the seedlings in them? That would be a test of the effect of water content without all the other ingredients, just sugar. You would need to have some in plain water as a control, of course. Bacteria and fungi might like the sugar solutions a whole lot, so it would probably have to be a short experiment. |
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May 5, 2006 | 2:25 AM |
BDH_t7m3
(Team Member)
Things we would change If we ever conducted this experiment again we think that we would use the same things as a control. However we would probably germinate the seeds normally to observe if the seeds had the ability to germinate. Then after they had germinated we would add the energy drink and the gatoradeand record the results. Bret |
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May 5, 2006 | 2:20 AM |
BDH_t7m1
(Team Member)
Water Content Dr. Cook Yes, we have thought about the parallel experiment concerning the water content. However we are not sure how this experiment can be conducted? Zach |
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May 3, 2006 | 5:12 AM |
Dr. Martha E. Cook
(Scientist/Mentor)
Zach and Team 7, I’ll be interested to see your pictures. Have you thought any more about how to test your original hypothesis about water content being the critical factor? |
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May 2, 2006 | 5:17 AM |
BDH_t7m1
(Team Member)
Purple Gatorade Dr. Cook , Yes the gatorade is Riptide Rush (Purple). I am hoping to upload pictures of both the energy drink and the gatorade. To answer your question, no, I dont think the energy drink has gotten to the seeds. Hmm... |
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April 26, 2006 | 3:56 AM |
Dr. Martha E. Cook
(Scientist/Mentor)
Hi Zach and Team 7, Interesting about the sick purple seeds. Is the Gatorade purple? Do you think the energy drink has even gotten into the seeds? |
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April 25, 2006 | 9:23 AM |
BDH_t7m1
(Team Member)
Ok, I am on the same page with you now! I'm not sure where to go now however,(to conduct a parallel experiment or?) the seeds in the gatorade are dying (turning a purpleish color) and The energy drink seeds have what looks like no change. Thanks Zach |
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April 25, 2006 | 12:36 AM |
Dr. Martha E. Cook
(Scientist/Mentor)
solutes Dear Zach and Team 7 I think you are on the right track about density differences causing the floating, but you stated it backwards, right? The energy drink is more dense than the seed, hence the seed floats. We float more easily in the Great Salt Lake than in freshwater because all that salt (a solute) makes the water more dense than freshwater, and therefore we are more buoyant. I was trying to make a connection with your hypothesis. Another way of saying that the water and Gatorade have greater water content is that they have a lower solute concentration than the energy drink. The floating seed was a happy accident that told you the energy drink is more dense than the Gatorade, even though both have a higher concentration of solutes than plain water does. I was wondering if you could conduct a parallel experiment to test your hypothesis about solutes more directly. With all those ingredients, how will you know if any effects you observe are due to solute concentration or to a toxin among the ingredients? Caffeine is used by plant researchers to interrupt cell division, for example, and caffeine from coffee seedlings can prevent nearby seedlings of other plants from germinating. In thinking about the effects of solute concentrations, you may want to read about osmosis, if you haven’t already. There can be a lot of confusing terminology involved, but I ignore that and think about it this way. Water “likes” to dissolve things, so it will go from a region of lesser solute concentration to one of greater solute concentration. |
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April 24, 2006 | 8:44 AM |
BDH_t7m1
(Team Member)
Oxygen Thanks for telling us that, we actually were almost on the wrong track until our teacher and you pointed out about the Oxygen needed by the seeds!! :-) Our idea about the seeds sinking in the gatorade and not in the Energy Drink was that the energy drink was less dense than the seeds causing them to rise. (This was member 3's hypothesis, maybe it is off base I'm not sure? I hadn't seen him add anything about that so I said I'd do it for him.) Zach |
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April 19, 2006 | 6:38 AM |
Dr. Martha E. Cook
(Scientist/Mentor)
thanks for clarification Hi Zach and Team 7, I understand about not using the soil, and now that you have drained the seeds (I wasn’t sure you were going to do that) there is not a problem. I was concerned because one of the things that plants get when they are in soil is oxygen (from the air between the soil particles). The seeds that sank would not get oxygen, while the floating ones would, hence that would have been another variable. Could your prediction that the water and gatorade have higher water content provide the answer to why the seeds in those solutions sank? How could you test that idea without the confusion of all the different ingredients in the gatorade and the energy drink? |
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April 19, 2006 | 5:28 AM |
BDH_t7m1
(Team Member)
Re: where do seeds grow? Dear Dr, Cook: Seeds normally grow in soil we realize. However we are following suit with the majority in our class (and our teacher) and omitting the soil, instead we are keeping the seeds in a moist environment. Also, are goal is not for "normal plant growth" but to see what happens when foreign substances are added to the maize. Thanks for your guidance! Zach, and Team 7 |
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April 19, 2006 | 2:21 AM |
Dr. Martha E. Cook
(Scientist/Mentor)
where do seeds grow? Hi, Team Seven. I’m glad that you set your experiment up with a control treatment of just water, and that you will keep them all at the same temperature and light conditions. What other variables might you need to control for normal plant growth? Where do seeds normally grow? |
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April 12, 2006 | 5:25 AM |
Dr. Martha E. Cook
(Scientist/Mentor)
Greetings! Hello Bishop Dwenger High Team 7. I’m looking forward to hearing about your research. I study the charophycean green algae, which are the organisms most closely related to plants. These simple algae may help us understand how more complex plants operate. I am especially interested in the evolution of plant form. I think plants and algae are beautiful, in addition to being scientifically interesting. I got degrees in math and English before I found botany. I think one of the best things you can do for yourself is to try different activities and areas of knowledge to see what you like. Good luck with your research. |
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April 12, 2006 | 2:21 AM |
Dr. Claire Hemingway
communicating with scientists and peers Hi Team 7, Type in the comment box and click Add. Here's a tip: Read the Web Guide. It shows you how to do this and everything else about the website. CH |
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April 12, 2006 | 2:07 AM |
BDH_t7m2
(Team Member)
hi How do I write to my mentor??????????????????? |
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April 11, 2006 | 3:01 AM |
Dr. Claire Hemingway
Welcome to the Scientific Inquiry through Plants Project Hello Bishop Dwenger High Team 7, Thanks for doing a great job registering on the website today. I like your attention to detail! Looks like you are well on your way to thinking and working like scientists. Your plant science mentor for the project will be Dr. Martha Cook. Good luck on your research. Have fun. Regards, Dr. CA Hemingway |
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