The effects of polarized light on B. napus growth
Date
2018-04-19
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Abstract
Throughout nature, carbohydrates and proteins are observed to have respectively homogenous chirality; carbohydrates are known to exist in a right-hand (D) configuration and proteins in a left-hand (L) state. Previous studies have shown that plants show polarization effects when grown in varying types of polarized light. It is hypothesized that our galaxy has a magnetic spin and magnetic orientation, which contributes to the homogeneous, naturally occurring chirality of proteins and carbohydrates. This study aims to examine both the phenotypic and chemical polarization effects of four different types of light on Brassica napus ssp. Pabularia. Altering the direction of light to which B. napus is exposed may alter the configuration of carbohydrates that it produces via photosynthesis. Carbohydrates are extracted from the natural product through an ethanolic homogenization step. The resulting combination of glucose, sucrose, and fructose solution are then separated using HPLC with a size-exclusion column. After separation and recollection, the carbohydrates are run through a polarimeter to determine chirality of the sugars. D-form sugars give a positive absorbance, while L-form reads a negative absorbance value. Over time, B. napus may show preference for a specific type of polarized light and, over many generations, undergo an evolutionary change that causes the organism to begin producing L-oriented enantiomer carbohydrates as a direct result of the type of polarized light to which it was exposed.
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Chemistry, Biology, Polarized light, Biochemistry, Chemistry, organic, Carbohydrates, RISE Above Research Conference