Biology and Warfare
Job Title: Military Research Scientist
Background Information: All animal cells contain organelles that carry out specific functions within
the cell. When these organelles do not function properly, the cell dies which results in potentially serious
medical conditions for the organism. The Canadian Forces is concerned with the effect that certain
biological weapons might have on the cells and bodies of its soldiers. In an attempt to better understand
how to prevent the serious effects of biological weapons from affecting their soldiers, the Canadian
Forces has begun a research program that will investigate the various types of cells in the human body
and how they are affected by various chemical weapons.
Scenario: This research program has just begun, and the first task that your supervisor has given
you is to make a complete inventory of each cell type in the human body. You have decided to
begin your inventory with cheek cells, as they are easy to obtain and identify. Your goal during
this lab is to obtain, stain, view, and sketch as many possible organelles as you can positively identify in a
human cheek cell. Your supervisor would like a lab report of this investigation, and the answers to the
questions at the end of this outline.
Procedure:
This is an Inquiry Lab, therefore you will not be given a procedure to follow. Your supervisor doesn’t
pay you to ask him how to do your job, therefore, it is up to you to determine how you will perform this
lab and which materials you will use.
The only recommendations that I will suggest are:
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use one drop of methylene blue to stain your cells before viewing
use toothpicks to acquire your cell samples whenever possible
use a cover slip when viewing your microscope slides
make sure that your procedure is hygienic
Your Lab Report Must Include
1. Title
2. Materials
3. Method
4. Results/Observations
Your supervisor will be including your results in a manual that will later be used by all of the research
scientists in the Canadian Forces. He would like the answers to the following questions to be completed
on a page that is separate from your lab report.
1. List the 3 parts of the Cell Theory
2. Write a short description of each of the following: cell membrane, cytoplasm, nucleus, organelle,
eukaryote, cytoskeleton
3. Why is the use of methylene blue necessary when viewing animal cells?
4. Cheek cells do not move on their own. Which two organelles that function for cell movement did
you NOT see during this experiment?
5. The light microscope used in the lab is not powerful enough to view other organelles in the cheek
cell. Which parts of the cell were visible?
List 2 organelles that were NOT visible but are definitely present in the cells that you viewed.
6. Is the cheek cell a eukaryote or prokaryote? How do you know?
WHAT SHOULD YOU SEE UNDER THE MICROSCOPE?
Image #1: Human Cheek Cells Stained with Methylene Blue (100x)
Nucleus
Cell membrane
Air Bubble
Image #2: Human Cheek Cells Stained with Methylene Blue (400x)
Air Bubble
Nucleus
Cell membrane