Day 2 @ MBL
November 12, 2019
Today's focus was an introduction to marine anatomy and physiology and developmental biology. We began the day with a short lecture that included a review of anatomical terms of direction before heading to the lab. Our first task in lab was familiarizing ourselves with the dissection scopes. Each of us got a different butterfly wing that we looked at under the specialty dissection microscopes. Each individual scope is connected to an iPad that is connected to a network, allowing real time images from each student's scope to be projected for the rest of the class to see. Once we had an understanding of the scopes, we began dissecting bony fish. We identified different anatomical structures and observed some of them under the scope. Different species had different scale types, and we enjoyed walking around the room to check out what each group was looking at under the scope.
During lunch, we listened to a talk about the history of the MBL and some of the great discoveries that were made here. Then we headed back to the lab to finish our fish dissection, feed our fish and change the tank water in our aquariums, and begin the skate dissection. Dissecting the skate immediately after the fish allowed us to compare and contrast different marine vertebrates. We also had a chance to observe skate embryos, which develop inside an egg case colloquially known as a "mermaid's purse." Once we finished dissecting, we attended a lecture on developmental biology given by Dr. Nipam Patel, the Director of the MBL. He discussed the history of developmental biology, how cells differentiate, and the experimental techniques used to understand development. This was a perfect introduction to our evening lab section. Tonight, we are labeling fly and zebra fish embryos with primary antibodies that target various proteins. Tomorrow, they will be washed and a secondary antibody that has a fluorescent tag will be added. This will allow us to observe and image the fluorescent-tagged proteins under the scopes later in the week. We also had a chance to observe some zebra fish embryos under the scope and set up a time-lapse so that we can follow their development.
During lunch, we listened to a talk about the history of the MBL and some of the great discoveries that were made here. Then we headed back to the lab to finish our fish dissection, feed our fish and change the tank water in our aquariums, and begin the skate dissection. Dissecting the skate immediately after the fish allowed us to compare and contrast different marine vertebrates. We also had a chance to observe skate embryos, which develop inside an egg case colloquially known as a "mermaid's purse." Once we finished dissecting, we attended a lecture on developmental biology given by Dr. Nipam Patel, the Director of the MBL. He discussed the history of developmental biology, how cells differentiate, and the experimental techniques used to understand development. This was a perfect introduction to our evening lab section. Tonight, we are labeling fly and zebra fish embryos with primary antibodies that target various proteins. Tomorrow, they will be washed and a secondary antibody that has a fluorescent tag will be added. This will allow us to observe and image the fluorescent-tagged proteins under the scopes later in the week. We also had a chance to observe some zebra fish embryos under the scope and set up a time-lapse so that we can follow their development.