Vaccine and Neon Bacteria

For the first part of the lesson, we talked about vaccines. Basically, vaccines are weakened virus. If these non-sickness-causing virus are injected into human body, the white blood cells will memorize thee virus' protein coat, and the next time when the white blood cells encounter similar virus, they would be able to recognize it and fight it off.

Usually, what virus do is to hijack cells and provide RNA and have the cell produce new virus.

For the second part, we did a lab, in which we can genetically change bacterias. Basically what we did is to have two samples of bacterias, in sample one we added a plasmid DNA that would allow the bacterias to glow and be immune to antibiotics. We didn't add anything to sample two. We prepared two agar plates for each sample. For sample one, one plate contains arabinose (I looked up online, this switches on the DNA that allow bacteria to glow) and both contains ampicillin. For sample two, one plate contains ampicillin, the other one doesn't.

Our prediction is that bacteria in sample one plate without arabinose will grow but won't glow. The other sample one plate bacteria will grow and will glow. Bacteria in sample two with apicillin won't grow. Bacteria in sample two without ampicillin will grow but won't glow.