I've made interesting scientific progress! Personally, of course. People have discovered so much more than what I have, so this comes as no surprise to brilliant biologists.
I've been growing germs. The last time I tried this, my gelatine-sugar solution didn't harden, but a certain stringy type of bacterium landed on it and multiplied, so I got a liquidy solution full of black stringy webs. Never mind. I didn't dare open it for fear that I might die, so I left it there until, hopefully, the sugar and air ran out of the petri-dish and they died. Mom threw the whole thing away.
This time, however, I grew germs that live on the tongue and in the nose. In 2 seperate containers, I poured the gelatine-sugar solution that I made, this time with more gelatine and more sugar. The problem was that it didn't have the correct gelatine:water ratio, so my solution didn't harden into agar jelly. This time, it worked pretty swell. I used a tongue-scraper to scrape the upper side of my tongue, and used a cotton-bud to transfer the yucky stuff onto the agar jelly of one container. Then, I sealed it and labelled it "mouth".
Then, I did the nose. Used a cotton-bud to get some moisture from my nose. As you know, the nasal passage is lined with a mucous membrane, and the inside of the nose is practically crawling with germs, so I just swiped the used cotton-bud onto the agar jelly of the second container. This time, I labelled it "nose", and sealed it.
I got a bit worried at first because the tongue obviously had a lot of substance for germ-growth. The nose, however, was just colourless moisture, so I wasn't sure it would grow.
5 days later, here they are! The tongue container has 4 different types of bacteria in it, and they range in colours yellow, light brown, brown and black. Fascinating to see what grows on your tongue.
The nose container wasn't as successful. It had growth, all right, but the agar jelly collasped and turned into a half-liquid state, but there are 2 different types of germs living in it. One is simply a black patch slowly expanding, the other is a white-yellow misty layer near the top of the agar jelly.
It's so cool! Today, I cooked up some more agar jelly in 2 more containers, and I plan to take bacteria from the disgusting kitchen cloth (used for everything) and barely washed. Occasionally, my parents give it a quick rinse (water only) under the tap, but there are all the visible food bits and unknown substances stuck in the cloth fibres, and the moisture just encourages bacterial growth. I've seen flies land on that thing! I never, ever touch it.
I'm not sure what I should put in the other container of agar jelly. Bacteria from my Dad's 10-20 years old dentures (still in use, never brushed or soaked in denture solution), or the toilet bowl water? I don't know which is more disgusting, but I'm afraid that the germs from my Dad's dentures might turn out to be the same type that were lurking on my tongue. I'm sure there are more dangerous types lurking in-between his dentures, though, but I wanna know whats lurking in the toilet!
Did you know that every time you flush the toilet, you get coated in germs and other particles from the toilet bowl? That's why I always run out the moment I flush it. Can you imagine people who don't scrub their hands with soap after using the loo? Or worse, holding your boyfriend's hand after he used the toilet and didn't wash with soap!
Gasp!
I've been growing germs. The last time I tried this, my gelatine-sugar solution didn't harden, but a certain stringy type of bacterium landed on it and multiplied, so I got a liquidy solution full of black stringy webs. Never mind. I didn't dare open it for fear that I might die, so I left it there until, hopefully, the sugar and air ran out of the petri-dish and they died. Mom threw the whole thing away.
This time, however, I grew germs that live on the tongue and in the nose. In 2 seperate containers, I poured the gelatine-sugar solution that I made, this time with more gelatine and more sugar. The problem was that it didn't have the correct gelatine:water ratio, so my solution didn't harden into agar jelly. This time, it worked pretty swell. I used a tongue-scraper to scrape the upper side of my tongue, and used a cotton-bud to transfer the yucky stuff onto the agar jelly of one container. Then, I sealed it and labelled it "mouth".
Then, I did the nose. Used a cotton-bud to get some moisture from my nose. As you know, the nasal passage is lined with a mucous membrane, and the inside of the nose is practically crawling with germs, so I just swiped the used cotton-bud onto the agar jelly of the second container. This time, I labelled it "nose", and sealed it.
I got a bit worried at first because the tongue obviously had a lot of substance for germ-growth. The nose, however, was just colourless moisture, so I wasn't sure it would grow.
5 days later, here they are! The tongue container has 4 different types of bacteria in it, and they range in colours yellow, light brown, brown and black. Fascinating to see what grows on your tongue.
The nose container wasn't as successful. It had growth, all right, but the agar jelly collasped and turned into a half-liquid state, but there are 2 different types of germs living in it. One is simply a black patch slowly expanding, the other is a white-yellow misty layer near the top of the agar jelly.
It's so cool! Today, I cooked up some more agar jelly in 2 more containers, and I plan to take bacteria from the disgusting kitchen cloth (used for everything) and barely washed. Occasionally, my parents give it a quick rinse (water only) under the tap, but there are all the visible food bits and unknown substances stuck in the cloth fibres, and the moisture just encourages bacterial growth. I've seen flies land on that thing! I never, ever touch it.
I'm not sure what I should put in the other container of agar jelly. Bacteria from my Dad's 10-20 years old dentures (still in use, never brushed or soaked in denture solution), or the toilet bowl water? I don't know which is more disgusting, but I'm afraid that the germs from my Dad's dentures might turn out to be the same type that were lurking on my tongue. I'm sure there are more dangerous types lurking in-between his dentures, though, but I wanna know whats lurking in the toilet!
Did you know that every time you flush the toilet, you get coated in germs and other particles from the toilet bowl? That's why I always run out the moment I flush it. Can you imagine people who don't scrub their hands with soap after using the loo? Or worse, holding your boyfriend's hand after he used the toilet and didn't wash with soap!
Gasp!
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