Contents

Introduction
Materials/Methods
Results
Conclusion
Bibliography

Introduction

What is Cryopreservation? Cryopreservation is the preservation of cells by subjection to extremely low temperatures. Where is cryopreservation used? Cryopreservation is used to store seeds that are vulnerable to extinction. 
Cryopreservation is used to store donated blood in blood banks.

Materials/Methods 

• One Pack Of Dried Kidney Beans
• Potting Soil
• Two Limes
• Two Lemons
• One Orange
• One Grapefruit

1. Place five dried kidney beans in paper towel
2. Fold the paper towel and wet it
3. Place the paper towel and beans in one plastic sandwich bag
4. Close plastic bag and place in dark area
5. Repeat steps above four times
6. Wait three days
7. Remove beans from sandwich bags and towels
8. With an adult’s help, poke a drainage hole into the bottom of 25 plastic drinking cups
9. Fill the drinking cups ¾ of the way with soil
10. Press a ruler two centimeters into the soil and pull the ruler out for all 25 cups
11. Place one bean in each hole
12. Add four metric tablespoons of the respective citrus juices
13. Paste labels with batch number and juice added
14. Screw plant light into the desk lamp
15. Position all plants around the light
16. Turn on light at 7:00 AM and turn them off at 7:00 PM
17. Water plants with 15 mL of water on days 5,7,9, and 11
18. Measure on days 6,8,9, and 12

Results 

The line graph shows that the seeds which had been preserved in the dry ice for one hour grew the tallest at an average of 41.28 centimeters. The seeds that had been preserved with dry ice for two hours grew the shortest at an average height of 8.8 centimeters. The seeds that had been preserved in the dry ice for three hours grew the second tallest at an average height of 38.84 centimeters. The seeds that grew the third tallest were the ones preserved with two hours of water at an average height of 37.92 centimeters. The seeds that grew the fourth tallest were the ones preserved with dry ice for four hours at an average height of 35.1 centimeters. The seeds that grew fifth tallest were the seeds preserved with water for one hour, which grew to an average of 33.26 centimeters. The seeds that grew the sixth tallest were the ones preserved with dry ice for five hours which grew an average of 31.04 centimeters. The seeds that grew seventh tallest were the ones preserved with water for three hours, which grew to an average of 38.84 centimeters. The seeds that grew eighth tallest were the ones preserved with water for four hours that grew to an average height of 22.56 centimeters. The seeds that grew the ninth tallest were the ones grown with water for five hours which grew to an average height of 22.22 centimeters.

Conclusion 

The researcher asked the question of whether dry ice or water preserved plants better. The researcher believed that the seeds preserved with the dry ice for one hour would grow the tallest. The researcher’s hypothesis was supported. The background information supported the conclusion because the seeds stored using water were structurally damaged. Also, the seeds that had been preserved longer had a larger chance of their DNA being affected.

Some sources of experimental error were that the seeds should have been selectively bred; meaning all seeds for the experiment should have come from the same parent plant. Another source of experimental error is the fact that the water was not poured on the exact same location for each plant, meaning only some of the water could have fell on the plant. From my project I learned the processes a scientist follows to reach conclusions. I learned how to correctly care for plants and how to be accurate when measuring variables. A benefit to society is the project shows how to properly store plants to protect them from disasters and potentially extinction. A question the researcher had is whether different seeds would react differently to the experiment.

Bibliography

1. “Cryopreservation.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2015. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1452607/cryopreservation>.
2. “Dry Ice Safety.” Dry Ice Info. dryiceInfo.com, n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2015. <http://www.dryiceinfo.com/safe.htm>.
3. Kaufman, Rachel. “32,000-Year-Old Plant Brought Back to Life—Oldest Yet.” National Geographic. National Geographic Society, n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2015. <http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/02/120221-oldest-seeds-regenerated-plants-science/>.
4. “Principles of cryopreservation.” The National Center for Biotechnology Information. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2015. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18080461>.
5. Staff, Science Buddies. “Cryopreservation: Freezing Plant Tissues.” Science Buddies. Science Buddies, n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2015. <http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_ideas/PlantBio_p004.shtml#help>.