Sav's Sourdough Starters

 Spring Sequencing Analysis We finally got the Spring 2021 sequencing data back! Yay! Since we did not get the data back as early as originally anticipated, we did a Unique Microbe Analysis on last semester's data then formulated a hypothesis we could test with this semester's data. If you have not seen it yet, I would recommend that you read my Unique Microbe Analysis blog post first for information on the specific microbe I researched.  Spring Sourdough Starter Samples I analyzed samples 87 and 89 from the Spring sourdough starter samples. Sample number 87 was a control starter and sample number 89 was an experimental starter containing apple. These two samples were grown and submitted by the same individual.  My unique microbe, Gluconobacter oxydans , was found in both samples. Not only did I find this microbe in samples 87 and 89, but I also found it in sample 88, which was another experimental starter from the same individual. This starter contained mango. There was a high

Unique Microbe Analysis Due to delays with the DNA sequencing data from this semester's sourdough samples, we had to make a few changes to our project. Instead of answering our original research question, we did a Unique Microbe Analysis and formed a hypothesis that we will test with our Spring 2021 data.  I chose to analyze samples 49 and 50 from the Fall 2020 data. These two samples were grown and submitted by the same individual. Sample 49 was a control starter and sample 50 was an experimental fruit starter containing peaches. The unique microbe that I identified in the experimental fruit starter that was not also in the control starter was Gluconobacter oxydans.   If you look very closely at the bottom of the graph, you can see a small line indicating the presence of G. oxydans in the peach starter. This microbe accounted for only 0.082% of this starter's microbial composition. Below you will find the legend for this graph. I have outlined the microbe's name in red.  

Science Communication Science can be shared with many different audiences across various platforms. Since I have recently deleted all of my social media in an attempt to become more productive and improve my mental health, I do not have as many mediums to look at and pick from. I have chosen two podcasts and one YouTube channel as my three examples of science communication that I found interesting.  In Defense of Plants Podcast - https://www.podbean.com/podcast-detail/7jaeh-5b63a/In-Defense-of-Plants-Podcast The first podcast that I listened to has episodes about different kinds of plants and many other things related to plants. For example, one episode I listened to was about botanical gardens and propagation. The episodes in this podcast are pretty long, but I did find them fairly engaging. Something that stood out to me about this podcast was the different guest speakers and their discussions. There are many episodes with speakers from different plant-related professions and special