Blasting Yeast with UV Light
10 days ago
- #UV light
- #yeast
- #home lab
- Experiments with UV light on baker’s yeast reveal challenges in calculating UV dose and variability in lab results.
- Sterilizing the environment is difficult, especially for home labs, highlighting the need for better sterile techniques.
- Independent experiments offer valuable insights into variability and experimental fragility, with no pressure to falsify results.
- Initial results show a reduction in yeast colonies with increased UV dose, but contamination and unexpected survival at high doses were observed.
- The method involved a quartz cuvette and UV LED setup, with challenges in accurately modeling UV dose due to light spread and flow rate.
- Peristaltic pump usage introduced variability in flow rate, complicating dose calculations.
- Contamination sources included tubing and spreading tools, prompting plans for improved sterilization techniques in future experiments.
- The importance of documenting and sharing sterile techniques for independent scientists is emphasized.