Replicating DNA Replication

After waking up late in the morning, I made it to the dining hall around 8:40 AM. With only 20 minutes to make it to class, I had a quick breakfast before hurrying to my class. Today we learned about DNA replication, a topic I have really been looking forward to. Although we’ve covered the subject before in school, learning at UChicago is a more in-depth analysis of any material we cover, plus we get to work hands-on in the lab to further our understanding. 

Unlike yesterday, our class today began with lab instead of lecture. Although I thought it would be a little confusing to do the lab before learning the information, it actually was pretty straightforward. Still, it makes it easier to explain first what happened in lecture than go on to the lab. 

The bacteria culture we used for Lab 1

In lecture, we covered not only the process of DNA replication in the cell but also how scientists have learned to make a process similar to this occur in the lab. The process is called the polymerase chain reaction (PCR.) The purpose of PCR is to produce multiple copies of a particular region of DNA that scientists are interested in so that they can be analyzed and utilized for further study. 

Today in morning lab, we got to do a PCR of our own. For this lab, we used the bacteria we grew in the first lab, to make a copy of. Once we finished our preparation of the lab and lectured had finished, we were dismissed to go have lunch.

The bacteria culture we used for Lab 2

Once we returned from our lunch we got to continue learning in the lab. We did not have to return to lecture which I was quite excited about. Our second lab also involved using the bacteria we grew in our first lab. The purpose of the lab was to determine the concentration of bacteria in the original culture and the frequency of mutations conferring resistance. Many calculations were needed in this lab but still, it was pretty simple. When we got our results we were asked to share them on the board and then we were allowed to leave. My partner, Crystal, and I decided to stay a little longer to finish the worksheets that go with the lab.

Our results

After class, I had dinner with Cecilia, Maria, and Adela. We talked about how we are all enjoying our classes and also how much studying and homework we all had to do. The first few days have been quite the adjustment so we really have not gotten to do anything outside of class and studying. We made plans to change that this weekend when we will have less homework to worry about, hopefully. We decided to go to Chinatown on Sunday and possibly go to the beach on Saturday. I am really looking forward to getting my mind off class for a little bit. Until then, I still have lots more work to do. Goodnight!