Science

Yr.12 Biology students got to do something extraordinary recently. They genetically modified bacteria to glow in the dark! They took a culture of non-pathogenic E.coli and used the Heat-Shock method to get the bacteria to take up foreign DNA.

This method involves chilling the E.coli on ice and then rapidly heating them to 42 degrees Celsius in order to make the E.coli take up a circular piece of DNA called a plasmid.

On the plasmid was the gene for Green Fluorescent Protein. This means that the bacteria that took in the plasmid would fluoresce under a UV torch.

The discovery of this protein and its application as a crucial tool in biological research was the reason why the Scientists who discovered it were awarded the 2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. 

So there you go, genetically modified bacteria all the way in Glen Innes High School.  

Mr. Dodds and Ms. Malby teamed up to give the students this unique experience. As you can see from the photos, we got some glowing colonies!

Mr. Dodds and Ms. Malby