Free content:
In this FREE module:
- PCR and Electrophoresis Intro
- Food security: Wheat challenge
- Testing glucose with potassium manganate
PCR and Electrophoresis Intro
Introduction:
A quick overview of our ideas to help teaching of this topic.
Obtaining cells for PCR
Extracting cells 01:
Cells from cheek cells.
Extracting cells 02:
Cheek cells and saliva sources for DNA sources.
Extracting cells 03:
Centrifuging cells to concentrate samples.
Extracting cells 04:
Centrifuging in ‘sterile conditions’ Cell pellets.
Extracting cells 05:
Obtaining our cheek cell samples.
Extracting cells 06:
Purifying and extracting.
Extracting cells 07:
Using Insta-Gene matrix.
Extracting cells 08:
The heating process for our samples and beads.
Food security: Wheat challenge
Food Security 01 (introduction):
An introduction into the wider aspects of Food Security and some possible issues and practical ideas.
Food Security 02 (cereal variation part 1):
A sort of model for the evolution of modern day cereals from grasses. Looking at wheat, barley and oats. Compare the variation in grasses and our cereals. It is very easy to grow cereals. Notice similarities and differences.
Food Security 03 (cereal variation part 2):
Looking at wheat plant structure and potential investigation into biomass. To repeat, it is so easy to grow for yourself.
Food Security 04 (wheat seeds):
Wheat seed heads to construct a ‘living bar chart’ to show variation. Leading to discussions of biotic and abiotic growing conditions.
Food Security 05 (wheat seeds part 2):
Wheat seed bar chart. Noticing the spread of sizes. What is the useful biomass?
Food Security 06 (wheat and chaff):
Separating the ‘wheat from the chaff’. Obtaining the useful grain biomass.
Food Security 07 (wheat biomass):
Obtaining the biomass of the wheat grains, chaff, stalk etc. A possible opportunity to practice maths skills with real data.
Food Security 08 (Bread Wheat Challenge):
The Bread Wheat Challenge. Trying to estimate the area of land needed to become self-sufficient in growing enough wheat for bread. Use the guide to look at the calculations. There are many areas of discussion!
Food Security 09 (rising sea levels):
Food security and global warming. Applied osmosis in saline conditions from rising sea levels. Germination in different salt solutions. An opportunity to look at ‘real selective breeding’.
Food Security 10 (bean biomass):
Using Broad bean plants to explore the component dry biomass of roots, shoots, leaves and seeds. Drying to a constant mass. Calculate the percentage efficiency of the plant in terms of the useful biomass of seeds (i.e. the crop) from the whole plant. Ideas for using the so called waste biomass.
Food Security 11 (seed banks):
The need for seed banks for food security and maintaining biodiversity. Seed viability decreases with age.
Testing glucose with potassium manganate
Testing glucose with potassium manganate 01:
Trying to determine glucose concentration. Ideas of how you might set up the experiment.
Testing glucose with potassium manganate 02:
The pink colour will decolourise after a certain time with different glucose concentrations. How you might decide on repeat readings to plot. Calibration curves used to identify unknowns.
Testing glucose with potassium manganate 03:
Using larger volumes of reagents should you see fit. Judging end-points is a perennial problem.