HSCI 100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Catabolism, Growth Medium, Geiger Counter
3 Feb 2017
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Purpose: detect the products of organic catabolic metabolism. Catabolic metabolism the breakdown of complex molecules into simpler ones (ex. Use: adding sugars, amino acids, and other organic molecules that serve as food for organisms to a sample of. Monitors the production of breakdown products of these carbon compounds: look for organisms in martian soil. Yes = organisms feed on broth of organic molecules expected that simpler, low-energy carbon compounds (ex. Co, co2,ch4) will be exhaled or excreted by organisms into the environment. Input (energy-rich organic compounds) and output (co, co2, ch4), the carbon atoms in the organic molecules are radiolabeled. Carbon atoms used to make organic molecules are isotopes of carbon-14. Above the test chamber is a geiger counter: detects presence of carbon-14 in any gas generated by the sample (co, co2, ch4) Levin developed it to detect bacteria in drinking water (adapt for purpose of searching for life on other planets)
