Viruses vs. Bacteria: My Battle with Bacteriophages at the DNA Learning Center
This past weekend, my dad and I biked down to the Cold Spring Harbor DNA Learning Center for a Saturday DNA session — and let me tell you, it was phage-tastically awesome! This class was all about bacteriophages, which are tiny but mighty viruses that attack bacteria.
What in the World Are Bacteriophages?
If you’re wondering what bacteriophages (or phages for short) are, here’s the scoop: they’re microscopic viruses that infect specific bacteria. Think of them as nature’s bacterial hunters! They attach to a bacterial cell, inject their genetic material, and take over — turning the bacteria into a virus factory. Eventually, the bacteria bursts open, releasing tons of new phages ready to find their next target.
And guess what? They’re everywhere — floating in the ocean, hiding in the soil, and even hanging out in your food. They’re so common that scientists estimate there are more bacteriophages on Earth than every other organism combined!
The Experiment: Mixing and Zapping E. coli
Our experiment for the day used bacteriophages to take down E. coli bacteria. We got to create our own custom phage mixture using two types, called T4 and T7. Armed with pipettes (my favorite part!), I carefully measured 60 µL of T4 and 40 µL of T7 into a test tube. Watching the liquid swirl together felt like mixing up a secret science potion.
Then came the coolest part — we handed our samples off to a robot!
This robot had a mechanical “finger” pipette that transferred our phage mixture to E. coli samples. Once that was done, we placed everything into an incubator to speed up the process. Over time, the robot measured how the E. coli population grew — and more importantly, when it stopped growing. That’s when we knew the phages had done their job and destroyed the bacteria. Seeing science happen in real time (with the help of a robot assistant!) was seriously amazing.
Phage Art: Science Meets Creativity
After our experiment, we got to do something totally unexpected — bacteriophage art! Using a laminated picture of a phage, I pipetted drops of colorful food dye onto the image. Then, I pressed a blank sheet of paper over it to soak up the colors and reveal a vibrant, one-of-a-kind print. The result looked like a tie-dye version of a virus — bright, weird, and super cool.
Bacteriophages Beyond the Lab
Here’s the wild part: bacteriophages aren’t just fun to study — they’re also incredibly useful in the real world. The food industry actually uses them to keep food safe and bacteria-free! Scientists can program certain phages to target dangerous bacteria, like Listeria, which sometimes contaminates deli meats and cheeses.
Remember when Boar’s Head had a Listeria outbreak? That happened because bacteriophages weren’t being used to protect the food. Today, companies use them to prevent things like that from happening again — a real win for both science and snacks!
Final Thoughts
From pipetting and mixing phages to watching robots destroy bacteria, this workshop was an unforgettable mix of science and technology. I learned that even the tiniest things — like viruses — can play a huge role in protecting our health and shaping our world.
Big thanks to the team at the DNA Learning Center for an amazing day of discovery. I can’t wait to go back and see what microscopic adventure awaits next!
