Posted on 04/13/2016 1:12:08 PM PDT by Behind Liberal Lines
Last fall, my daughter Veronica got an idea for the seventh grade science fair at her school. She’d compare different ways to clean a toothbrush. First she’d take a new toothbrush out of a package and brush her teeth, covering it with her mouth bacteria. Then, she’d clean it with one of three liquids: water, lemon juice, or vinegar. Finally, she’d wipe the brushes on Petri dishes and see how many bacteria grew on them...
Veronica submitted her plan, and then reported back to me that we had to fill out some forms. These forms turned out to be an avalanche of confusing paperwork. We also learned that this experiment was so potentially dangerous that Veronica would have to carry it out under the supervision of a trained expert, who would first have to submit a detailed risk assessment.
(Excerpt) Read more at statnews.com ...
“We are approaching a darkness in the land. Boys and girls are emerging from every level of school with certificates and degrees, but they can’t read, write or calculate. We don’t have academic honesty or intellectual rigor. Schools have abandoned integrity and rigor.”
This is ridiculous.
Everyone knows it’s an adult woman’s mouth that has the worst amount of bacteria in it, not a little girls’ mouth. /south park
“Once the critters are stuck to the agar agar and the lid is on the dish, it’s pretty safe.”
I’ve also taken microbiology, and yes, the cultures in the dish are probably not what you need to be worried about. What you need to be worried about are all the other contaminated equipment and surfaces that you are going to come into contact with. I doubt an untrained child is going to know they have to sanitize everything with phenol every time they are finished, or that simply washing stuff in the sink is not going to sterilize it properly.
I've considered buying the salt blast bug killer.
I’ve also taken microbiology, and yes, the cultures in the dish are probably not what you need to be worried about. What you need to be worried about are all the other contaminated equipment and surfaces that you are going to come into contact with. I doubt an untrained child is going to know they have to sanitize everything with phenol every time they are finished, or that simply washing stuff in the sink is not going to sterilize it properly.
You are useful to the Political Class.
I didn’t know his real name but I watched him all the time.
Dad had 5 boys and two went into Engineering.
He saw the ‘engineering gift’ of asking questions early on.
I couldn’t have made it without his support.
That’s great, I love it.
Mrs. AV
I remember Gilbert science kits and that one too!
Ain’t that the truth? My Dad got an `A’ for my junior high wind tunnel designed for testing model rockets. Basically a long box with a squirrel-cage blower & electric motor, plexi-glass to view the rocket in `flight’. The school model rocketry club bought it.
I grew up with Scientific American, especially the Amateur Scientist column. Home made cyclotrons, van de Graaff generators, high power lasers, all kinds of good stuff. Always wanted to contribute a project.
The time came in the early 70s. Well, things had changed. I was informed that my little high energy plasma project was too dangerous for the revamped column. (This was after the passing of C.L. Stong). I had another chance in the late 1990s. This time I was informed that any project had be able to be replicated for no more than $100 and had to make use of commonly available items.
After a fashion, it sort of got folded into a column. Shortly thereafter the column died. Wonder why.
I still refer to the columns of the 1950s and 60s.
The Most entertaining and true Science Fair display I’ve seen yet!
“Dang, where do I get toothpaste with Phenol?”
You don’t, because phenol is not fit for human consumption. However, your mouthwash contains alternate antiseptics that fulfill the same purpose. Failing that, you have your immune system to nip bacteria in the bud before they become problematic (assuming you are relatively young and healthy, otherwise the immune system becomes unreliable).
Reading some of these comments makes one understand why China is going to kick our ass in the next generation.
LOL!
That’s why I always wiped my equipment off on the back of my pants after washing....
LOL!
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