The Microbiome Masquerade

Grade:

10

Teacher:

Jomaly Cotto

This project tested how mineral and chemical sunscreens affect the skin’s microbiome. Researchers swabbed a cleaned skin area to get a baseline sample, applied either mineral or chemical sunscreen for four hours, then swabbed again. Samples were cultured on LB agar plates and compared. Results showed both sunscreens reduced culturable bacteria compared with no sunscreen, with mineral sunscreen producing the largest decrease. Limitations include a small sample size, a short timeframe, and measuring only culturable bacteria.

Project presentation

Lab journal excerpts