![]() Our large intestines are full of beneficial bacteria that break down food that our bodies can’t digest on their own. Where would we be without bacteria? Well, we might not be getting bacterial diseases, but we would still be a lot worse off! Bacteria perform all sorts of very important functions, both in our bodies and in the world around us. Keep reading to see four experiments using bacteria, and many more ideas for science projects (also consider this hands-on Bacteria Growing Kit)! Adult supervision is recommended when working with bacteria. If you want to study a particular type of bacteria, you can also purchase live cultures. You also need a source for bacteria, and this is not hard to find! You can swab your mouth or skin, pets, soil, or household surfaces like the kitchen sink or toilet bowl. Most bacteria will grow well using nutrient agar, but some more fastidious bacteria (those with more complex nutrient requirements like Bacillus stearothermophilus, Branhamella catarrhalis, and Bacillus coagulans) prefer tryptic soy agar. Agar is a gelatinous medium that provides nutrients and a stable, controlled environment for bacteria growth. All you need are some petri dishes, agar, and sterile swabs or an inoculating needle. Bacteria are everywhere, and since they reproduce rapidly they are easy to study with just a few simple materials. Growing and testing bacteria is a fun any-time project or a great science fair project. Under perfect conditions a single bacterium could grow into over one billion bacteria in only 10 hours! (It’s a good thing natural conditions are rarely perfect, or the earth would be buried in bacteria!) Bacteria reproduce when one cell splits into two cells through a process called binary fission. Fission occurs rapidly in as little as 20 minutes. Individual bacteria can only be seen with a microscope, but they reproduce so rapidly that they often form colonies that we can see. ![]() ![]() Instead, their DNA floats in a tangle inside the cell. They are different from plant and animal cells because they don’t have a distinct, membrane-enclosed nucleus containing genetic material. If learning how to grow bacteria in a petri dish interests you, read on.Įxperiment #2: Testing Antibacterial Agentsīacteria are one-celled, or unicellular, microorganisms.
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