A super interesting week exploring some basics of biology at the freedom with which we can experiment to explore the limits of designing at a micro scale.
We learned to cultivate some bacteria with easily accessible materials. We I enjoyed learning the recipes and the lab rules. Especially the sterile space and the artefact designed to approximate the space. After our best efforts, the incubator failed overnight by not being hot enough.
We put the samples by the heater in class and ended up being able to see the colonies of bacteria. It was awesome.
We collected the bacteria we cultivated and saw it under the microscope to observe the details of the eukaryotes. We also saw samples of various different types of cells in the human body. The results were very vibrant and motivated me to try and identify the types and parts inside the visualisations. This was a fun exercise to do and motivated me to get a small portable microscope so I can observe other things I find under the lens.
Here is the initial proposal to create a GMO that digests human hair. My design space at the moment does not include organic beings so I picked this topic as this is a deep and personal problem that I face.