Thomas Hunt Morgan and his associates pioneered the use of Drosophila in the Fly Lab at Columbia University. Today, stocks of Drosophila are maintained in federal facilities for use in research and education, hundreds of gene loci have been mapped, and the genome of Drosophila is being sequenced to better understand the relationship between base pair sequences and the position of genes on chromosomes. A newer role for Drosophila involves its use in studies of the genetic control of development, a subject we will cover later in lecture. In this exercise you will learn to make culture media, anesthetize Drosophila , identify males and females, score the presence or absence of traits, and observe eggs, larvae and pupae. A major purpose of the lab is to have you properly record procedures and observations in your laboratory notebook.
All investigations begin with questions.
Can I use the information from this lab to design and teach a similar lab to others. Your laboratory notebook is a permanent record. It verifies what you have done and the observations that resulted from your procedures. In cases of suspected fraud, the laboratory notebook becomes a key piece of evidence that can be used to support or refute published results. Consequently, I am most concerned that you write up your procedures, observations and results in a manner consistent with clear planning and awareness that you and others need to be able to interpret your writings, unambiguously .