• Question: how long was your longest experiment and what was it

    Asked by rfreeman to Loan, Cristina on 11 Nov 2015. This question was also asked by 1234.
    • Photo: Loan Nguyen

      Loan Nguyen answered on 11 Nov 2015:

      Hi, thanks for your interesting question.
      My longest experiment so far has lasted for 4 months but I am currently doing one which lasts for 6 months and is due to finish next week! I am very excited about the data. During each experiment I gather as much data as possible on measurements that i have decided to take. After the experiment, I study the data and interpret what it all means. The results then determine what my next set of experiments will be.

      For this experiment, I looked after a group of 8 mice and i fed them different diets, a normal healthy diet and a high fat diet. I wanted to find out how high fat diet affects the function of our blood vessels and heart. During the experiment I measured their blood pressure monthly and took electrocardiographs to monitor the function of the heart. At the end of the experiment i will be measuring blood glucose level and cholesterol levels.

      One of my friend at work is running an experiment which lasts 18 months! The length of the experiment completely depends on what you want to find out.

      I hope I have answered your question. Keep asking, it is the best way to learn.

      Loan

    • Photo: Cristina Villa del Campo

      Cristina Villa del Campo answered on 13 Nov 2015:

      Hi rfreeman!

      My longest experiment was two months long (I had one that was one year but I only had to wait for the mice to be old, I didn’t have to do much). The one that was two months was training the mice to swim in a pool. They swam everyday, up to 90 minutes! I wanted to test the effect of exercise in the heart. They ended up being super strong mice, they could stand on their tails!

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