Samples Collection & Experimentation –

As we arrived back at CSM most of us were feeling pretty tired.  It had been an intense but very enjoyable morning in the science labs at UCL (University College London).  However, we were all pretty excited to start collecting our samples.

We felt it would be a great idea to collect some canal water, some moss, and some leaves.  I was really keen to examine the dregs of my Chai Latte so I popped some in a little sample bottle.  I wasn’t so keen to grab the canal water but luckily Charlotte a fellow member of the group was on hand to do this.

Charlotte Collecting Samples

Below is a mix of clips from Days #1 and #2 – they range from crystal garden crystals, to sample collecting, to fruit fly equipment and oxygen free cabinets.

Sample Analysis and Experimentation

After Lunch we had a quick de-brief then we headed off into the grow lab for some sample analysis and experimentation.  Shem and Barbera were our technicians.

Shem produced the first four of the following time-lapse sequences. The rest were produced by our group and shot by me. The pink ones were AI generated from my work. Following is a little video I put together.  The microscope used on the green algae and cellulose Petri dish time-lapses were created by placing them on top of a powerful microscope that enabled multiple high resolution images to be shot over a period of time.

Chai Latte Under the Microscope

The microscope was one of my favourite pieces of kit in the laboratory.  I managed to view the dregs of my Chai latte that I had saved earlier.  Please see the images below.  One person asked me if I could see anything moving in my sample.  I was relieved that actually I couldn’t given that I’d just drunk a full cup earlier.

Dendritic Painting Microscopy

One very interesting technique that I learned about was dendritic painting.  Below are some of my favourite dendritic microscopy images that I photographed, cropped and edited.  The original dendritic paintings were done by Charlotte Bassadone who was (like me) a member of the Beyond Earth team.

Chemical Garden

The results from the chemical garden that I grew by adding crystals to a solution – I can’t remember exactly what the crystals were or what the solution was but I intend to go back and investigate this.  I feel that this is something that my own students would love to try and I hope that working with our own biology department I will be able to set up a workshop for my students.

Summary

The day was amazing! It was absolutely packed with lectures, sample taking and workshop time.  I particularly enjoyed growing my own chemical garden.  I also enjoyed the scientists talks and discovering the powerful microscope.  I learned much  about structural colour and how cellulose can be used as a creative medium.