In this project, we made extracts of plants and tested to see if any of these extracts held antibiotic properties. This meant that when placed on a petri-dish with e coli, the spots with extract will have little to no bacteria growth. This is how a lot of medicine was/is made/discovered. This also explains why killing of species of plants is so bad, Every singe plant has the possibility of creating a cure for current and future diseases and when one goes extinct, we lose an opportunity to save lives and eradicate a disease.
Procedure
We started by making our extracts. This involved weighing our plant, rosemary and using a mortar and pestle. Then we filtered and measured exact amount of extract into a tube. Next we prepared the petri dish. We poured melted agar onto the plates, making sure to follow sterile procedure in order to prevent other bacteria and fungi from growing. Next we put the bacteria over the plate and let it grow. The next day we put our extract in filter paper and placed it on the dish. After a few days we saw a clearing of bacteria growth. This meant that our extract, rosemary holds antiboitic properties. Further research found that rosemary has already been used as medicine. If we use this same techniques on plants that are quite uncommon, we can create new medicines and cure diseases.