Microorganisms are all around us, with an amazing diversity of adaptations. They were the first life on Earth, and their relatively recent discovery in extreme environments—like hot springs, ocean vents, and polar ice—illustrates how tenaciously they've evolved and survived. Microbiology gives us insights into evolution, disease, and even the mechanisms of our own cells. Explore our collection of microbiology projects to learn more about these tiny and amazing organisms.
Fuzzy things are often cute, but not when that fuzziness is mold on your strawberry—yuck! Companies look for natural, plant-based ways to protect the berries from mold when they are in the store, waiting for you to purchase them. Would washing them in aloe vera juice protect strawberries from mold? Do this project and find out!
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Do you wash your hands? You should— it's the best way to prevent the spread of germs. But germs can be tricky; they find nooks and crannies to hide in, so it takes good hand-washing technique to get rid of them. In this science project, you'll investigate which parts of the hand are the most difficult to wash germs off of.
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MicroBio_p018
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Time Required
Average (6-10 days)
Prerequisites
None
Material Availability
To do this science project you'll need to order Glo GermTM over the Internet. See the Materials and Equipment section for more details.
Germs are everywhere! We try and clean our home with disinfectants, but do we really get rid of all the germs? Find out with this "hands-on" experiment.
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While looking at a package of dry yeast it is hard to believe that the package has organisms in it that are alive. But add the right ingredients and presto, the mixture becomes a bubbly, oozing, mess of life! What are the right ingredients? What does that yeast need to become active? Do this science project and figure it out for yourself!
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Have you ever wondered how yogurt is made and what makes some yogurts different from other yogurts? You may have noticed that most yogurt containers advertise that the yogurt contains "live cultures." This means that there are living bacteria in the yogurt! These amazing bacteria can turn plain old milk into a yummy yogurt treat. In this science project, you will investigate whether the bacteria affect what the yogurt feels, tastes, and smells like by making your own yogurt at home!
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MicroBio_p010
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Time Required
Short (2-5 days)
Prerequisites
None
Material Availability
Readily available
Cost
Very Low (under $20)
Safety
Requires parental supervision when cooking on the stove.
Did you ever wonder how yeast makes bread dough rise? This project will show you what yeast does to make this happen. You'll also investigate the conditions yeast needs to grow.
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MicroBio_p008
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Time Required
Short (2-5 days)
Prerequisites
Good observational skills
Material Availability
Readily available
Cost
Very Low (under $20)
Safety
Adult supervision recommended for handling hot liquids
This project uses liquid cultures and agar plates to investigate the effects of different concentrations of a food preservative on microbial growth.
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MicroBio_p016
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Time Required
Average (6-10 days)
Prerequisites
To do this project, you will need access to a laboratory with facilities for culturing bacteria. You should be familiar with sterile technique and proper handling of bacterial cultures.
Material Availability
Specialty items
Cost
Average ($50 - $100)
Safety
Standard precautions for handling bacterial cultures.
There is nothing quite like the smell of fresh-baked bread to make your mouth water! As any baker can tell you, you cannot bake bread without yeast. Yeast actually eat sugar so that they can reproduce and make more yeast, and make bread dough rise. But can they use sugar substitutes to do this? In this science project you will get to investigate how well yeast grow with sugar substitutes as a food source. Pass the butter, please!
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Crown gall is a plant disease caused by the soil bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens. This project uses tomato plants to investigate whether garlic extract can prevent crown gall infection.
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MicroBio_p024
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Time Required
Long (2-4 weeks)
Prerequisites
You will need a plant with an existing crown gall infection as a source of bacteria for this project.
Material Availability
Readily available
Cost
Low ($20 - $50)
Safety
Use caution when cutting with sharp knife or razor blade.
Microbes are everywhere in our environment, but for the most part they escape our notice. This project shows you how to safely culture and study common bacteria from your everyday surroundings.
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