Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hi,

My 5th grader is working on the bioluminescence experiment and we are on day 7. We were expecting the test tubes that we moved between light and dark every 12 hours to do the best (as in glow the brightest), consistent with the circadian rhythm.

However the ones doing the best are the ones exposed to light round the clock, with only brief periods of darkness when we turn off the light to check luminescence twice a day.

What could be causing this?

Thank you.

Hi!

Thank you for reaching out!

Just wanted to confirm, is this the experiment you are conducting: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... #procedure ?

Yes, sorry I should have mentioned that first.

Thank you for the clarification!

Because the 12 hour light/12 hour dark set up should yield ideal results, perhaps there is an issue relating to 1) pre-adjustment of the test tubes to a new light/dark cycle before starting the experiment, or 2) the lighting set up during the experiment.

Because of how uber-sensitive the pre-adjustment process is, I suspect #1 might be the area of concern. How did you carry out this part of the project?

The test tubes spent one week in 12 hour cycles and she commenced the experiment only after confirming all of them were fully acclimatized.

I also want to conduct this experiment. There is great interest