[Leica] Summer Project Over

[Aram]

Well, my students are done with their project other than their presentation next week.  Time to get out and shoot some photos.  I took a few for them when they were working.

They were trying to get DNA out of these:
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Aram/sp/USDA+Exuvate-8067-Edit-.jpg.html

that is a millimeter ruler next to that codling moth larval skin.  I put the 100 APO on a bellows and it worked very well.  Much better than the enlarging lens I had been using on the bellows.  A bit big and awkward, but the results were amazing.

Here they are working away in the USDA Lab.
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Aram/sp/USDA+Jim+Teresa-8000.jpg.html

They were extracting DNA, amplifying a particular odorant gene, cloning it, pulling it out and then having it sequenced for the researcher who runs the lab.  Here he is working at the UV light table cutting bands out of a gel.
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Aram/sp/USDA+Cutting+Bands-2875.jpg.html

Fun project and they did a good job.  What they found out will enable the researcher to extract DNA from the thousands of insect larvae he will have over the next 6 months.

Comments welcome.  I will return to more traditional photography now.


Aram Langhans
(Semi) Retired Science Teacher
& Unemployed photographer

“The Human Genome Project has proved Darwin more right than Darwin himself would ever have dared dream.” James D. Watson