Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Can you recommend an experiment where students can investigate the effects of environmental factors (alcohol, caffeine, aspirin, radiation, etc.) on mitosis? The metrials should be relatively low cost. It should take fewer than two weeks to complete.

Hi,

Here are experiments on the effect of the environment on mitosis:

http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cac ... JevUMg8z_A

http://www.ethnoleaflets.com/leaflets/eghaheom.htm

Here is a paper on the epigenetic influence on genetically identical organisms:

http://hmg.oxfordjournals.org/content/1 ... 1/R11.full

Hope these help.

Best regards,

Barrett L Tomlinson

Hi,

I have realized that the first experiment of the prior post has insufficient detail to be useful (the effect of caffeine on onion root tip mitosis). Here is a like that gives background for the experiment:

http://www.protocol-online.org/cgi-bin/ ... cgi?ID=160

At the bottom of this page is a link to a Cell Biology Laboratory manual, which if explored (Lab Protocols - Histochemistry)has a protocol for the Feulgen stain proceedure which might be helpful.

Here is a more complete experimental procedure for the caffeine inhibition of mitosis experiment:

http://www.huntington.org/uploadedFiles ... itosis.pdf

Hope this helps!

Best regards

Barrett L Tomlinson

I have realized that the first experiment of the prior post has insufficient detail to be useful (the effect of caffeine on onion root tip mitosis). Here is a like that gives background for the experiment:

At the bottom of this page is a link to a Cell Biology Laboratory manual, which if explored (Lab Protocols - Histochemistry)has a protocol for the Feulgen stain proceedure which might be helpful.