Last november, our science pupils from ESO4 went to the Center for Genomic Regulation (CRG) in Barcelona, visited  the research center and participated in a Role Play as genomic researchers.

The first part of this activity was a role playing game inside a European Network project in which each student put himself in the shoes of a different person working in the CRG in order to solve toguether a problem related to  Drosophylla melanogaster classification. In order to identify several traits in a stock of flyies received in the research center, they learnt to use some standard techniques in genetic studies.

The students became aware of the importance of teamwork in research, whilst visiting different areas of the CRG and carrying out the activities in each of these places.

In the second part of the activity the students met a real scientist involved in the European Network project, the scenario of the role play.

It was amazing! Here you can see some pictures and videos of our visit.

Tree of Life. The Complexity of Life: From the Cell to an Alive Organism

Last Thursday, our biology class went to Palau Robert to visit the exhibition Tree of Life. We observed pictures taken by the scientists from the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) in Barcelona and we participated in a workshop.

The exhibition was settled in two little rooms with photographs of cells, organisms, tissues and organs. The main objective of the exhibition is to share the connection between science and art. We also played with a mobile application called CRG Memory Game.

Link to the pictures

Bernat, a biomedical researcher from CRG,  led the workshop. He told us about what the scientists have been studying for years. We were introduced to the composition of the cell, how cells differentiate into different tissues, how they get to become a whole body, and the importance of chromosomes. Bernat showed us some pictures of the project. He also explained us the different microscopia techniques used by  scientists to see specific types of cells. One of them is immunofluorescence, that consists of the genetic modification of cells proteins of an organism. Using natural components of jellyfish they modify other organisms proteins and make them visible.   Another powerful technique uses the specificity of antibodies to their antigen to target fluorescent dyes  to specific targets within a cell. They use cells to create antibodies and conjugate it to fluorescent labels to localize structures within tissues or cells.

Link to the workshop

At the end, Bernat allowed us to use 4 microscopes supplied by Leica Microsystems. We observed how C. elegans proteins become active while feeding, also a fly, a piece of mouse brain and human tumor cells.

 Aina Segarra 4t B / Mercè Brunet 4t A

 

This course, the pupils of Biology and Geology went to the Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP). The main aims of the visit were to understand Paleontology as a discipline between Biology and Geology, and its fundamental contributions to the theory of evolution. Our science teachers Alicia Garcia and Víctor Escarré organised the visit and accompanied them to this scientific meeting in Sabadell.

First our students participated in several interactive activities to learn how scientists do reserach, how do they create new knowledge and how do they discuss writing articles for science magazines. Then we visited the temporary exhibition “Gairebé Humans”.

Once finished this activity, the museum’s team responsible for schools, Teresa Esquirol,  accompanied us to observe the main human fossils found in Catalonia: the bones of  Pau (Pierolapithecus catalaunicus).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She explained us the uniqueness and importance of Pierolapithecus and other fossil hominid species, which makes Catalonia the place with the best fossil record of Miocene hominids (between 13 and 9 million years ago, when the origin of the family Hominidae took place). She also told us Pau was so called by catalan scientists after being discovered in the period of the Iraq War.  Next,  she  accompanied us into the preparation laboratory, where we  learnt about the stages of restoring a fossil.

Finally Teresa Esquirol introduced us to Josep Ma. Marmi, a researcher focused on the study of fossil vertebrates and plants associated to dinosaur remains. He presented us the work of a paleontologist and showed us his current research in their office. Mr. Marmi also told us about the importance of  English when working in a scientific team.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lastly they offered us to visit the collection, placed in the basement of the museum. We discovered it consists of a highly technological one: fossils are stored with its information in ICs (integrated circuits). It was amazing to discover that the ICP hosts more than 170.000 fossil remains and is considered one of the most important collections of fossil vertebrates in Europe. It also hosts a Tipoteca, a special collection wich includes fossils that have been used to describe more than 200 new species.

The conservator woman showed us how scientific misconceptions change through the case of Myotragus (a small balearic parent of goats). We observed the historical skeleton mounted by Miquel Crusafont in the mid XXth century …

… then she told us that nowadays scientists know that Myotragus had short legs, more curved spine and the neck in a lowest position. It was a good lesson to finish the visit with conclusions about  the history of science.

Víctor Escarré

Biology and Geology ESO4

 

Last april , the Center for Genomic Regulation left us a kit with all the equipment and reagents necessary to carry out a practical activity based on electrophoresis for our ESO4 Biology and Geology students. Electrophoresis is a technique that allows us to separate DNA samples by size.

Our ESO4 pupils studied and applied the Agar Electrophoresis technique in the school laboratory.  They started preparing the materials and solutions needed in the protocol with coloured samples labelled as in a possible crime scenario. Next day they were asked to compare the DNA from a Crime Scene (sample labelled EC) to the DNA samples of 3 Suspects (samples labeled S1, S2 and S3).

Here you have a nice presentation with the entire protocol and conclusions, designed by Jose Manuel Bocara from our 4B class:

Pouring the solution of agar gel at 1% to prepare our electrophoresis boxes

Cutting off the gel that went over and removing the comb to create the wells

The syringe and the samples in a microplate

Loading the samples into the wells

Running the gel…

..and observing results!

CONCLUSIONS

• Electrophoresis is a technique that allows us to separate components by size.
• We realized that some of the samples had 2 components and others had 3.
• The yellow component is the smallest and/or the most negatively charged as it moves the furthest through the gel towards the positive anode.
• The blue component is the largest and/or has the least negative charge as it moves the least through the gel.
• Sample  S3 had the same components as the Crime Scene (EC) sample.

Víctor Escarré

Biology and Geology ESO4