In the scientific research world, the petri dish remains the tool used in some things that deal with culturing cells. So, what is a petri dish, and what role will it play in the lab? This article explains that in a little more detail, although the uses for petri dishes run the gamut from scientific discovery to even culture-changing.
What is a Petri Dish?
Named after German bacteriologist Julius Richard Petri, although very simple, a Petri is quite a powerful tool in both the fields of biology and medicine. It is used for culturing and studying microorganisms under controlled conditions. What then is a Petri dish? There are many uses: from the culture of bacteria and fungi to the study of the effects of drugs and chemicals on cells. Indeed, with its use, that little dish has revolutionized the way we study life at the microscopic level.
Petri Dish Use in Laboratories
To relate the importance of petri usage, it is more important to know how dishes are used in labs. Scientists play the trick of petri dishes to culture various kinds of cells, even more, bacteria. To culture bacteria in a petri, a medium rich in nutrients like agar is poured into the dish and left to solidify. When the medium has solidified, a sample with bacteria is streaked on its surface. A petri is then incubated at an appropriate temperature allowing the bacteria to grow and form visible colonies. Scientists then develop a basic procedure in microbiology that allows them to isolate and identify various bacterial strains.
Petri Dish and Medical Breakthroughs
The petri dish indeed laid the foundation of very many medical breakthroughs. One such prominent example is the discovery of antibiotics, which was a result of a discovery made by Andrew Fleming. His observation of the mold Penicillium notatum killing bacteria on a petri dish led to the vital development of the first true antibiotic, penicillin. This discovery has saved many lives, showing how crucial petri dishes are in advancing medical science.
Petri Dish Baby: Assisted Reproductive Technology
Petri Dish Baby IVF, or in vitro fertilization, has given birth to the term “petri dish baby”. This represents children born post-IVF, a technique in which a woman’s egg is fertilized by a sperm cell outside the body, after which the developing embryo is then implanted back into the uterus. IVF has certainly been a ray of hope for millions of couples who fail to conceive naturally and has led to the term “petri dish baby”. Now, it is time to illustrate the myriad uses of, and the impact created by, the humble petri dish in other domains apart from microbiological research.
How to Grow Bacteria in a Petri Dish
The skill of growing bacteria in petri dishes is paramount for the biologist. To grow bacteria in a petri, first, you must prepare a sterilized petri dish and then pour a sterile agar medium into it. It is then left to cool and solidify. Then, a small sample of the bacteria being grown is spread on the surface with a sterile swab. Finally, the plate is covered and placed in an incubator at an appropriate temperature for the bacteria being cultured. After a few days, isolated visible clusters of bacteria will be observed to have grown, and these are referred to as colonies. Submicroscopic units from all these colonies are made up of millions of cells that originated from one single cell.
Petri Dish in Environmental Studies
Petri dishes are crucial in medical, microbiology, and environmental studies. Scientists use a petri to conduct monitoring on the quality of water, health of soil, and spread of pollutants. Environmental samples are cultured to check for harmful bacteria or fungi and suggest future actions. This brings to attention the use of a petri in making sure that public health and environmental safety are brought to light.
Cultural and Educational Impact
The cultural and educational importance of the Petri dish is high. In the biological science class, students learn about microbial life and also the fundamentals of the laboratory practice. Students often wonder how to spell Petri when they start using this important tool. Moreover, the term “Petri dish” entered popular use, and, most of the time it appears as a metaphor for some setting in which the ideas or phenomena are bound to grow and develop.
Innovations and Future Prospects
Innovations in the design and materials of the petri continue to make scientific research easier and more efficient. Modern petri dishes come in various sizes, are made of clear plastics, and reduce contamination risks. Some are even made to have multiple compartments, in which each compartment houses a different experiment. The future as far as applications of petri dishes is set to increase even further, with potential developments in tissue engineering, including the culture of complex tissues and organs in petri dishes by various researchers for transplant.
In The End
The petri is simply designed, but its use is paramount in science. Using this tool to study microorganisms has led to major medical and environmental breakthroughs. Petri dishes are widely used in labs and reproductive technology, from experiments to creating ‘Petri babies’. Certainly, the future, with the help of petri technology, will see many more scientific frontiers in science and medicine.