Uploaded September 2024 | Updated September 2026, 4 days ago
#lifeonmars #Astrobiology #Viking
Edit: I accidentally swapped the labels for the x and y axes on the graph
In this video I repeat the famous "labeled release (LR) experiment" conducted on Mars: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viking_lander_biological_experiments
Instead of the radioactive C-14 isotope with which the nutrients were tagged and a Geiger counter, I am using a sensitive and true carbon dioxide sensor.
The graph in the video shows the logistic function: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logistic_function
Verhulst derived his logistic equation to describe the self-limiting growth of a biological population. The equation was rediscovered in 1911 by A. G. McKendrick for the growth of bacteria in broth and experimentally tested using a technique for nonlinear parameter estimation.
In his 1977 Christmas Lecture at the Royal Institution, Carl Sagan also demonstrated the experiment: youtube.com/watch?v=rortB0okcAg&t=3027s
The experiment, as I conducted it, is very suitable as a science project for students.
#lifeonmars #Astrobiology #Viking
Edit: I accidentally swapped the labels for the x and y axes on the graph
In this video I repeat the famous "labeled release (LR) experiment" conducted on Mars: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viking_lander_biological_experiments
Instead of the radioactive C-14 isotope with which the nutrients were tagged and a Geiger counter, I am using a sensitive and true carbon dioxide sensor.
The graph in the video shows the logistic function: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logistic_function
Verhulst derived his logistic equation to describe the self-limiting growth of a biological population. The equation was rediscovered in 1911 by A. G. McKendrick for the growth of bacteria in broth and experimentally tested using a technique for nonlinear parameter estimation.
In his 1977 Christmas Lecture at the Royal Institution, Carl Sagan also demonstrated the experiment: youtube.com/watch?v=rortB0okcAg&t=3027s
The experiment, as I conducted it, is very suitable as a science project for students.
