Tag Archives: Chedabucto Education Centre

We learned how to extract DNA too!

Yesterday we did a lab where we learned how to extract DNA from strawberries. First we mashed up the strawberries.

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We added an extraction buffer (soapy, salty water) and mashed it up some more.  Then we filtered the juice into a cup.

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We used a pipette to add the strawberry juice to a test tube filled with ice cold ethanol.  We inverted the tube once to mix the juice with the ethanol. We could see the DNA separate from the juice. It rose to the top of the test tube and looked like a white slimy blob.

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We rubbed a glass rod on a t-shirt to give it a charge and we used the glass rod to “spool” the DNA out of the test tube.

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That’s a Wrap!

Here is the difference 3 weeks made… Wow! Shania George and I (Meagan Kettley) had a blast keeping track of our findings, the bug tent, and our class. Here is a photoset of two pictures; one from the beginning and one from the end.
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Here is a picture of our classmates packing up the tent. Sad faces all around as we packed up; the class really enjoyed checking for bugs everyday. It was an exciting class project.
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Our class cannot wait to hear back about the project. We hope that some of the bugs we caught are unknown bugs or rare bugs in our area. We think that it would be interesting if we found a new type of bug in our area, and if we find any endangered bugs, then we would like to do something to protect them.

After two weeks of unfortunate weather, and an extra week to make up for it (thankfully week three had gorgeous weather!), we found a whole bunch of bugs!
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Thank you for checking out our blog, and thank you to the School Malaise Trap Program for this incredible opportunity!

Coming to an end :(

Here is some of the students patiently waiting for some bugs to fly in, in hopes for a successful final week with the bug trap.

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Here is some of our bugs in the bottle! Hooray! Finally we had a beautiful end of the week with our tent, being luckier than ever!

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And now its sadly come to an end. Time to pack it up and move it out!This is a student getting ready having final moments with the tent while packing up.

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Incoming: Snow and Rain!

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Well, isn’t this a surprise! This photo was taken Monday morning. The snow covered our set up, but we were quick to the fix.

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As you can see, here in Nova Scotia we aren’t having much luck – the poor weather we’ve been having has prevented us from catching many bugs. Thankfully we’re allowed to keep our tent for an extra week (yay!) so lets hope the weather starts to spring up!

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First snow, now rain! Tuesday had light flurries in the morning and rain in the afternoon here in Guysborough. This made for a sad and cold biology class. This is a picture of one of our classmates trying to keep dry.

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Brrr… It’s cold! Here is some of the class battling the weather, on the hunt for some interesting bugs!

Tuesday: we caught a GIANT fly
Wednesday: we caught a SPIDER!

We’ve Got Mail

The box arrived this week! The whole class was so excited to open it that they stood around and watched. The package came with lovely buttons that the Bio 11 class sported all day. Hope the bugs on our buttons are as cool as the ones we find in our trap!
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This is a collection of one of our many excited students. He was more than happy to rip open the box and display the goodies that were inside to the whole class.
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“Caution: Fun ahead!” Our Bio 11 class looking good while posing with the green caution tape.
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