Research Page for The Bush School, Team 5
"SoyStory"

4/22/05 3:12PM - T5: First upload of our journal is complete.
Observations: The soybeans were left in water overnight to start the germination process. The soybeans have absorbed a lot of water. We are rinsing them daily and have observed substantial imbibition. The seeds are growing and approximately 5% have begun to show signs of germination. Some seeds have begun to turn a purple/brown for unknown reasons.
4/24/05 5:16PM - Dr. Beverly Brown: Have you noticed any other changes besides color? Can you tell if the texture of the soybean has changed? Is the surface of the seed coat still smooth? I'm wondering if you are noticing any smell as the purple/brown color develops. We've noticed that with some of our soybeans.
4/25/05 2:54PM - T5(Ethan) Response to Dr. Brown:We have noticed a rank smell from the soy beans too. The seeds have begun to sprout. You can make a heart out of a rubberband.
We have used an old phonograph player on its side to make the seeds have no up or down to see what direction the the roots will grow (see below).
4/28/05 11:31AM - Dr. C. Hemingway: What creative work you are doing! Researchers often make use of old equipment lying around the lab when devising new experiments. You are following in the tradition of some real pioneers, like Dr. Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen who discovered X rays. You are also following the protocol of including a control in your experiment. Keep up the good work! Although it has only been a few days since you placed your petri dishes on the phonograph, have you observed the root grow in the direction you expected?
4/29/05 1:23PM - T5(Reilly) Response to Dr. Hemingway: The seeds on the phonograph player have roots now and leaves too. The seeds on the player seem to be growing faster than our control seeeds, the seeds on the player also look like they are growing oppisite to the centrifugal force.
4/29/05 1:23PM - T5(Reilly) Response to Dr. Hemingway: The roots of the seeds on the phonograph player seem to be growing outside, in the direction of the centrifugal force. The plant stems are growing towards the center and curved along the edge of of the petri dish.
5/4/05 4:22PM - PEER COMMENT from Bush Team 7 (Aaron): Great idea. What were the results? P.S. Ethan why do you keep on doing those kinds of experiments?
5/4/05 4:23PM - PEER COMMENT from Bush Team 7 (Katie): Your experiment sounds really interesting; in your last post I got a little confused. Are both the stem and the root of the seed growing towards the center of the Petri dish? If so how are the root and stem interacting?
5/7/05 6:20AM - Dr. Chris Haufler: How marvelously inventive you have been in studying germination! The results you have obtained are interesting and appear to support the hypothesis that plants sense the forces around them. Do you have any thoughts on how plants sense gravity? Have you conducted any controls to contrast with the seedlings on the spinning platforms? Have you pursued your original questions about how density influences germination? What do you think would happen if seedlings were germinated in a weightless environment such as outer space??