Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

me and my brother have choosen to do the project: Do magnets affect regeneration in planaria, And in the procedure section it says to place them on ice to immobilize them then make the cut but we tried this and they curled up into a ball and the cuts came out sloppy. we started doing it on water and it worked better. And for the movement almost all the planaria seem to have ceased movement is the normal please explain. We need a answer by Dec. 10

Thank you for a great project idea

Abraham and Moses warui

Thank you for utilizing the Science Buddies Ask an Expert forum,
If the planaria immobilization is not very successful through the usage of ice, it is totally normal to use water. However, please use cold spring water since it is most suitable for the planaria to thrive in. Another option that might work for immobilizing the planaria includes exposure to ethanol with a low concentration. Expose the planaria to the ethanol for about an hour until the ethanol has started acting upon the planaria, carefully rinsing off the ethanol with water after the one hour has passed. You can then continue on with your procedure.
I hope these suggestions answered your question and feel free to come forward with any other questions you might have as you go on with your experiment.

EricBebenov24

Thank You

No problem!