Menu for today is.... Orchid Agar-agar =D

First of all, sorry that I haven't blog for the past 2 days. Busy with tuition, rest and laboratory work. So, now, as I promised, I'll post on what I've been doing in the lab. =D


The MainCulture

This is the main specimen. As you people can see, there're lots of growth here. Plants have the power to grow another part of the plant with practically any cell in the plant with the help of hormones.

Okay, before I bore you to death with technicalities, it's like if I lose a hand now, I can take a cell from say... my butt, treat it with hormones, and viola~ Another new hand!! Yayy~~

So, my job for today (yesterday) is to chop up this plant nicely (not into bits) and replant them into similar containers! As you can see the yellow part at the bottom of the container, it's special Agar. Yes, the agar-agar we all eat as jelly! =D There's even sugar inside!


The Workplace

This is the Laminar Hood, supposedly a bacteria-free domain where we work in, at least our hands work in. We like agar, plants like agar, but unfortunately, bacteria also grow well on agar. We don't want bacteria growing on the Orchid's Agar though, so anything that goes in, from hands, instruments, vessels or specimens, must be either sprayed with 75% ethanol (which kills bacterias) or treated with extremely high heat.

But even with these damn strict measures, we still get contamination with bacteria. Sheesh. And the rules are really enforced very strictly; any suspected contamination will be treated as contaminated. No trials, no parole, no pardon and no Queen's Counsel; straight to the gallows (Read: Discard).


Jill pouring the Agar into containers


The Agar... Yum^^

That's our little Jilly, pouring the Agar into the containers, and after pouring the hot agar into the containers, we left them to cool in the Hood for 30 mins.


The instruments

These are the instruments we use, like a butcher needs a good chopper, we need good forceps too! This is the other laminar hood beside our one. Ours have much longer forceps (pincers) than this but that's about all the differences.


Subculturing the Orchid

There's a lot of work being done prior to this, but I'm skipping them. But mostly involving sterilising (making it bacteria-free) the instruments, the containers, the hands, the dishes blah blah blah... Oh!! But the part of sterilising the petri dish (the big glass dish with a lid) is fun!

First, open the lid and place it side by side with the dish, then take 100% ethanol (pure alcohol) and pour it into the dish, making sure all the surface is 'alcohol-ed.' Pour the remaining ethanol into the lid, making sure the same thing as well. Then, take a forcep, dip into 100% ethanol, and flame it.

Then while the forceps are still on fire, touch the surfaces of the lid and the dish.

Whoosh! Everything is on fire! Woot!

Anyway I got scalded cos I can't see the flame, and touched the lid by accident. Haizz... So clumsy of me. =P


End Product

Anyway, that's the end product. Looks something like the starting material right? Now we'll wait for this to grow as well, then rinse and repeat again I think. Keke, anyway that's it for today. Will post something thoughful up next time hopefully.

Lab Slave signing off,
Yangming

P.S. By the way, this site hit 1000+ visits! I'm so glad I have friends like you all. Thanks once again for the care and concern. ^_^