Sunday, August 10, 2008

Experiments to Save the World: A Foreword

We know who are killing the corals: Us. But to understand how we can save coral, we first need to comprehend how they live and how they die. It is as quoted in Art of War by Sun Tzu, “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles”. Avant-garde Professor Chou Loke Ming with NUS Marine Bio Lab is at the forefront of marine conservation. And so begins the battle for the coral reefs.

Our two bosses at the lab Karenne and Angie are currently conducting experiments to further understand how corals respond to different stimuli. This is the start of our strategy, to know oneself, or know one’s coral. Like all other respectable scientists, the scientific process was followed with much rigor.

For those who have not heard of the scientific process, here is a condensed version (the kind you find in science textbooks for 3rd graders):
Scientific process: hypothesis, experiment, conclusion.

A simple example of a hypothesis would be: does prodding people stunt growth?

The experiment would of course have to test the response of growth upon prolonged prodding. For example we would gather a group of homologous (similar) people and prod them with a prodding device for a time period. Their respective heights should also be monitored.
After such a period, the final heights can be compared to initial heights. And thus the conclusion.

Now that everyone has the same basic understanding of the subject matter, we can proceed with more technical jargon ^^ Click on the other experiments (links on the right) to find out more!

(photo of wooden dolls from http://www.swiftdev.com/vb/showthread.php?t=4191)

Jacque and Theophilus finished work at 1:06 PM

______________________________

the marine junkies
Jacque and Theophilus
18071990 / 28081990
NUS High School
NUS Marine Biology Labs

drop a line
reefmealone@gmail.com

thanks
Nudibranchs drawn by Prof. Chou
(hand drawn! wow!)
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