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 ...
I actually had one of those. And the chemistry set my parents bought me in about 1966 would get us all tossed into prison these days.
L
Is that supposed to be some kind of insult? If I know basic facts about science I am a tool of the establishment?
I’ll leave you to revel in your ignorance, hope you enjoy it.
Thirty years ago I got to be a science fair judge in Gallup New Mexico. There were a bunch of kids who lived out in the middle of nowhere, but who put together some very good science exhibits. They weren’t privileged by any means other than having the opportunity to excel.
My father was a regular reader of Scientific American. He described it to me as a magazine where he could read any article with perfect comprehension--until he got to the 2/3 mark, and the higher math steadily started blowing him away. But he loved it, especially the Amateur Scientist.
I was home sick from school one day, and he was working at home. He decided we would make the Vortex Generator from The Amateur Scientist together. It was an empty coffee can. You cut a 1" diameter hole in the center of the bottom with a drill. You put the plastic lid on the top, so you had an empty chamber with a hole at the center of one end. The column explained the physics of why, when you just tapped on the plastic lid, you could put out a candle 15 feet away with an invisible blast of concentrated air. It was a hoot. We were popping each other with it in the face from across the room.
What a great day. Someone can probably explain how it would be discovered to be too dangerous in today's SciAm, which as I recall is a dumbed-down, climate-change dweeb-fest.
But I'm eternally grateful for that column, and for my father for turning a boring day into an adventure that's still vivid to me a half-century later.
Hussein’s teleprompter?
I did the same thing. Filled the can with smoke and got most excellent smoke rings. I used my father’s nice augur (wood) bit to cut the hole. Probably dulled it a tad in the process.
I know someone that did an experiment with bread and various types of mold. When they won and moved on to the next stage of the event in another area, they were not allowed to bring the moldy bread (it was contained) into the judging area because it was a food product. No food allowed.
I told them, they must have already had their winner in mind when they did this.
Yeah, they apply for grants.
Dude -- they're in her own mouth.
Odd, they didn't offer to put Veronica in a level 4 CDC facility. I think the actual risk level is obvious to most other people.
Holy moly! Is that for real? It's great!
Right, because if she were not doing this experiment, that toothbrush with the “deadly germs” would not be sitting on her bathroom counter every day. ;)
This article showcases what is wrong in the US today. Everyone is buried in regulation and paperwork where common sense says none is needed.
Our lab experiments were confined to fermentation. Molasses, yeast and water run through a still a few days later. I think I’m still grounded.
“Right, because if she were not doing this experiment, that toothbrush with the “deadly germs” would not be sitting on her bathroom counter every day. ;)”
You put “deadly germs” in quotes and follow the statement with a smiley face as if you think this is a joke. I’m sorry, but there are some very deadly microorganisms out there, and when you start culturing microorganisms, you are specifically inducing enhanced and accelerated microbial growth. If it isn’t done properly, bad things can happen.
You can get contamination from any number of sources, and what you end up growing may not be just fairly harmless everyday germs. Any surfaces you are using, equipment you use, anything that can be contaminated that isn’t sterilized can contaminate you or anyone else that comes into contact with it. This is why lab safety procedures for even basic-level microbiology are stricter than for biology, chemistry, physics, etc. It’s inherently a more dangerous affair, even if you are doing what seem to be mundane, “safe” experiments.
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