Biology Lab on Atlantis II

In this laboratory, the experiments of the first six months will be conducted at the research facility. Amongst these experiments, DNA transcription for archaea will be attempted, the effects of temperature on hydrothermal bacterial enzymes will be determined, and the environmental community of the vent system will be studied.

To perform the experiments to be conducted, the laboratory design was specified in its uses and equipment. While most of the equipment in the lab is needed immediately, a limited few are present due to the fact that later experimentation will require them. Furthermore, since this is to be a self sustained underwater research facility, it would be more economical to have the equipment installed at the beginning instead of transporting it down when it is needed.

In the laboratory, two fume hoods will be present. One, the standard fume hood, will draw up all of the potentially harmful fumes produced through experimentation, while the other, the tissue culture hood system filters air and then passes it over an enclosed work surface. This “sterilized” air is used for cell growth and other experiments that need complete sterilization. On this note, an auto-clave and goggle case will also be included in the lab to clean and sterilize any used equipment.

Due to the fact that DNA sequencing will be the most “equipment intensive” research aspect, much of the lab equipment will be designated to that effect. For example, the PCR machine, sequencing apparatus and gel boxes will mostly be used for DNA sequencing. Furthermore, the computers and access to MetaLive will also assist that quest. However, much equipment is also needed to transport the specimens from their natural environment into the laboratory for analysis and for imitating natural conditions. Such will include the transfer apparatus, which are used in attempt to transfer a sample from its original environment to a laboratory with minimal disturbance, and the temperature blocks, which are used to block off reactions at high temperatures from one another and from other things present in the lab. Pipettes will be used to transfer liquids from one place to another, while Petri dishes are to store or collect samples.

However, not much can be analyzed without the presence of typical laboratory glassware, used for anything from stirring to reacting to containing. For this underwater lab, the initial glassware which will be present include test tubes, both regular and culture tubes, beakers, boiling flasks, Erlenmyer Flasks, stirring rods, graduated cylinders, and volumetric flasks. The lab will also have burets for the accurate dispensing and measurement of fluids, and stoppers for containment. Magnifying glasses will also be available to the lab for substance enlargement, while a poster of the periodic table of elements will be hung on the wall as a useful reference. Not forgetting support stands, rings, clamps, and racks, which will be present to hold equipment.

For the experiments which will need to separate substances of different gravity from one another, centrifuges, environmental shakers and filter paper will be provided. PH paper will also be present to test environmental conditions at all stages of experimentation. As for those experiments in which cell reproduction is necessary, incubators will also be available.

Refrigerators, freezers and microwaves will be in the lab for freezing samples, keeping substances fresh, and preparing material for experimentation, while different microscopes will be available for magnification of different degrees. A stereo microscope (for dissection), a compound microscope, an inverted compound microscope (for tissue culture), and an electron microscope will be present in the laboratory for both immediate experimentation and future use. Finally, a dissection kit consisting of locking hemostats, tweezers, watchmaker forceps, dissection scissors, scalpels, blades, and dental picks will also be available for any type of sample slicing.

None of the equipment in the lab is superfluous—all of it has extremely specific uses, so no lab space is wasted. Nevertheless, the focus in the equipment is still the experiments for the first six month, and if other equipment becomes necessary, it should be transportable to the research facility. As is seen, this laboratory will be fully equipped, ready to take on most types of challenges the biology of the Edmund Vent system will provide.