The goal of this lab was to observe the behavior of flies with different genotypes in relation to their circadian rhythm.
Anand Tyagi inspecting the flies After transferring them from the test tube to the CO2 platform it was important to gently disperse the flies so that they were distinguishable under the microscope.
Dispersion of the flies Using the needle, we used a sweeping motion to separate the flies. During this process it was important to be careful of the twitching and jumping flies.
Inspection under the scope Anand Tyagi looking under the scope attempting to identify which individuals are male.
Gabi organizing the test tubes After successfully inserting the sleeping flies into their test tube we organized them according to their genotype.
Reflection
A good portion of the flies in our test showed no activity therefore, I would assume we over gassed them with CO2 or simply smushed them accidentally during the transfer. Of the remaining flies several developed a regular sleep pattern however, two in particular exhibited a strange sleeping pattern. They showed movement then seemed to sleep for short random bouts of time. By the end of the observation they showed no movement so they may have died.
The long periods of no movement from start to finish indicate death
Given a significant portion of our subjects died, I don’t think we can definitively say anything about the two genotype’s circadian rhythm. However, I do think that another round of testing could offer some useful insight into the variations in phenotype the genetic differences produce.
In relation to robotics, I think this lab offers valuable insight into the importance of a control group. In order to understand the differences we must first look at the control group as a base line. This we can measure differences against a quantitative example. Additionally, this lab had a very open ended goal where observation was the key. In robotic experiments, observing the behavior and outcome is just as important as actively testing and prototyping.