Day 4 @ MBL
november 14, 2019
Today was a bit different than the past few days. Instead of having lectures and labs with the entire group, we were split into smaller groups, and each group had its own schedule for the day. On the agenda was preparing and imaging our embryos from the other day, learning about MBL's rare book collection, visiting the Woods Hole Aquarium, working on student presentations, and completing the lab practical. It was really exciting to see the results of the embryo staining using confocal microscopy, and every group had good results. Tomorrow we will process the images we captured to create a 3D view of the embryos. When visiting the rare book collection, we had the opportunity to see a signed copy of Darwin's On the Origin of Species, a few of Isaac Newton's books, and Thomas Hunt Morgan's Nobel Prize. Having the chance to hold a real Nobel Prize was incredible. While at the aquarium, we saw a turtle that they are rehabilitating. Its shell has cracks in it, and they are filling those cracks with honey because its high sugar content prevents bacteria from growing there and protects the turtle from infections. Lastly, the practical was a great way to apply what we have been learning during the various dissections and observations.
After dinner, Dr. Patel put together a lab session that built upon his lecture on butterflies from last night. He brought a variety of butterfly wings to lab. By placing a drop of various chemicals on the wing, one could see how that changed the way light was reflected from the wings. For example, if one places a drop of acetone on a blue butterfly wing it will turn green, but as the acetone evaporates, the wing will return to its original blue color.
After dinner, Dr. Patel put together a lab session that built upon his lecture on butterflies from last night. He brought a variety of butterfly wings to lab. By placing a drop of various chemicals on the wing, one could see how that changed the way light was reflected from the wings. For example, if one places a drop of acetone on a blue butterfly wing it will turn green, but as the acetone evaporates, the wing will return to its original blue color.