You don't need "elaborate" "biochemical" analyses for this. A simple LB
and/or McConkey's (sp?) plate should be enough to show the presence or
absence of bacterial population. To show presence of fungi, you need a
general VM type medium (low pH). I am not sure about protozoans.
Whether ET life behaves the same way is another matter, and is anybody's guess.
At 03:44 PM 5/18/00 +0100, Martin Weiss wrote:
>> Has anyone developed or know of straight forward activities
>with which students can use to differentiate between microbial life
>in sterile and non sterile soil with out involving elaborate
>biochemical analysis that I might be able to adapt for a museum
>exhibition on detection of Extraterrestrial Life?
>>Cheers,
>>Martin
>>>>Sorry for the cross posting.
>>>>Martin Weiss, Ph.D.
>Director of Biology
>New York Hall of Science
>47-01 111th Street
>Flushing Meadows-Corona Park
>New York 11368
>voice mail 718 699 0005 x 356
>facsimile 718 699 1341
>mweiss at nyhallsci.org>http://www,nyhallsci.org>---
>
Dr. Hiranya Sankar Roychowdhury
GENE LAB/ EPPWS
New Mexico State University
Las Cruces, NM 88003
Ph. (505) 646-5785
hroychow at nmsu.edu
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