Balaklava High School
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14 Gwy Terrace
Balaklava SA 5461
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Email: dl.0769.info@schools.sa.edu.au
Phone: 08 8862 0600
Fax: 08 8862 0650

SCIENCE NEWS

YEAR 8s CREATING CELL MODELS

Year 8 classes have been learning about the building blocks of life - cells and their organelles. Students created a cell model from either a pizza or a cake and then explained what the parts represented. Well done Year 8s. Delicious!

YEAR 10s STUDY GENETICS

Students in Ms Brookes and Ms Manuel's Year 10 Science classes have been studying genetics. They separated the DNA of strawberries and studied it under the microscope. The DNA becomes unravelled from its chromosomal arrangement allowing the long strings of the DNA double helix to be visible under the microscope. Students did a superb job of safely following the method and preparing stringy slides of strawberry DNA. 

DNA_strawberry_Prac.jpg

The quotes below are some of the students' written observations:

The results in the practical were easy to collect, once the ethanol was added to the mixture the DNA was separated from the strawberry mixture. The colour was a pale pink and you could see the little strands of the DNA. Once observed under the microscope you could see little spheres that weren't visible but you could also see the DNA strands which looked like little short strands similar to hair. 

Rihanna Zanker

Once the ethanol was poured in with the strawberry solution all the DNA started separating from the strawberry mix and rising to the top of the mixture forming a layer of DNA at the top, making it easier to extract the DNA from the rest of the solution. Once the extracted bit was put under the microscope, the inner works of the DNA could be seen more closely. They looked like little strands of string surrounded by air bubbles I wasn't able to see before.

Krystal Tait

When the ethanol is poured into the tube containing the strawberry remains and mixed with the DNA extraction buffer a white gooey substance emerges known as the Strawberry's DNA, the DNA strands keep to itself and binds with other DNA, thus creating a chain of DNA.

When this DNA strand is taken out of the tube and is introduced to the air (oxygen) the strands of DNA are solidified to a level and becomes harder to an extent. 

Sebastien Hughes

When the ethanol was added to the strawberry buffer mixture the substances separated with the colour turning deep red at the bottom to clear and bubbly at the top, (where the DNA had risen to). The longer it sat the more DNA rose to the top.

Once the DNA was extracted out of the test tube and spread on the black paper, the colour was white with a gooey texture. It also liked to stay attached together. 

Tess Rana

TITRATION

Year 12 Chemistry students, Hayden Booker, Codey Jamieson, Abbey Bigg, Brooke Michalanney, Tylah Arthur and Olivia Allen, conducted a titration to measure Vitamin C concentration in orange juice. They were investigating which juice is the best to drink to maximise Vitamin C intake. Turns out, it is the long life "Just Juice" variety. However, when evaluating their findings, students noted that not all juice brands were tested and the presence of pulp and sugar effects the Vitamin C. Fresh oranges were second best and knowing that all the other juices are made from reconstituted juice with additives, fresh is best. Especially if you have an orange tree.

Merridy Manuel

Lead Science Teacher