Unit 1 Lab 1 The Scientific Method

Milky Jimenez
Dr. Kebichi
GE150: Survey of the Sciences
Unit 1 Lab 1: The scientific Method

Observations:
There are 22 pieces of meat and 12 pieces of sausage linked together.
4/22 pieces of meat have maggots on them they also look older/less fresh
Flies are flying around and lying on the meat.
Meat on tables were uncovered

Questions:
1. Are flies responsible for maggot formation?
2. Why are all these pieces of meat together
3. What would happened if some of the meat were covered
4. Why does meat at the butcher shop become infested with maggots?
5. Do maggots generate spontaneously in the meat after a certain amount of time?
6. Do maggots come from flies?
7. If I keep flies away from the meat by covering the meat, will maggots still appear?

Hypothesis:
The flies are responsible for maggot formation.
If the meat were covered and kept refrigerated, neither maggots nor flies would on or around the meat.
Maggots turn into adult flies.
The meat is exposed to the environments and bacteria; eventually the bacteria will grow to a significant population and spoil the meat.
1. Flies produces the maggots
2. Maggots arise from decaying meat
3. The combo of fresh air and meat produces maggots.

Prediction:
If flies are kept off the meat, then no maggots will form on the meat.

Experiment:
Two jars with meat are set out. One is stoppered and the other is open to the air.

Situations tested:
Open jar with meat
Closed jar with meat

Situations resulting in maggots:
Open jar with meat

Conclusions:
From the results of my experiment, I conclude that the presences of flies on the meat are somehow related to the growth of maggots.

Summary
Maggots seem to appear on rotting meat. Are flies responsible for maggot formation? I predicted that they if the flies are kept off the meat, then no maggots will form on the meat. I set out two jars with meat, one is stoppered and the other is open to the air. It resulted in the meat in the open jar having maggots and the one that was stoppered (closed) jar did not. Therefore, because the meat exposed to the flies developed maggots, while the identical meat protected from the flies did not , it appears that flies are the cause of maggots on rotting meat.