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Question
What experiments and projects does he then undertake?
Solution
After losing out at the science fair, Richard Ebright undertook various experiments and projects. For his eighth grade project, he tried finding the cause of a viral disease that killed nearly all monarch caterpillars every few years. He tried raising caterpillars in the presence of beetles as he thought the disease might have been carried by a beetle. He did not get any results. However, he went ahead and showed that he had tried the experiment, and this time he won.
The next year, his science fair project was to test the theory that viceroy butterflies copied monarchs in order to prevent being eaten by birds. His project was to see whether birds would eat monarchs. He found that a starling would not eat ordinary bird food, but ate all the monarchs it could get. This project was placed first in the zoology division and third overall in the county science fair.
In his second year at high school, he began the research that led to the discovery of an unknown insect hormone. Indirectly, it also led to his new theory on the life of cells. He tried to find the purpose of the twelve tiny gold spots on a monarch pupa. Along with another excellent science student, he built a device which showed that the spots were producing a hormone necessary for the butterfly’s full development. This project won the first place in the county fair and also an entry into the International Science and Engineering Fair, where it was adjudged the third best in zoology.
As a high school junior, he continued his advanced experiments on the monarch pupa. His project won first place at the International Science fair.
In his senior year, he grew cells from a monarch’s wing in a culture and showed that the cells would divide and develop into normal butterfly wing scales only if they were fed the hormone from the gold spots. That project won first place in zoology at the International Fair.
The summer after his freshman year at Harvard, Richard worked on the hormone secreted from the gold spots, and was able to identify the chemical structure of the hormone. During his junior year, he got the idea for his new theory on the life of cells. Along with his room-mate, James R. Wong, he worked on his theory and wrote a paper explaining the same.
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RELATED QUESTIONS
How did a book become a turning point in Richard Ebright’s life?
How did his mother help him?
How can one become a scientist, an economist, a historian Does it simply involve reading many books on the subject? Does it involve observing, thinking and doing experiments?
You must have read about cells and DNA in your science books. Discuss Richard Ebright’s work in the light of what you have studied. If you get an opportunity to work like Richard Ebright on projects and experiments, which field would you like to work on and why?
What are the qualities that go into the making of a scientist?
Answer the following questions in 30-40 words :
How did Richard Ebright's mother help him?
Validate the importance of small, fun learning tasks towards successful careers, in the context of Richard Ebright in The Making of a Scientist.
What did Ebright learn from his failure at the Science fair?
How was 'The Tuavels of Monarch X' a turning point in Ebright's life?
What role did Ebright's mother play in his success?
How did Ebright get the idea of his new theory about cell life?
Why did Viceroy butterflies copy the Monarchs?
Read the given extract and answer the following questions.
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The question he tried to answer was simple: What is the purpose of the twelve tiny gold spots on a monarch pupa? “Everyone assumed the spots were just ornamental,” Ebright said. To find the answer, Ebright and another excellent science student first had to build a device that showed that the spots were producing a hormone necessary for the butterfly’s full development. This project won Ebright first place in the county fair and entry into the International Science and Engineering Fair. There he won third place for zoology. He also got a chance to work during the summer at the entomology laboratory of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. |
i. State any one inference about Dr Urquhart from the given context: (1)
Everyone assumed the spots were just ornamental,” Ebright said.
“But Dr Urquhart didn’t believe it.”
ii. State TRUE or FALSE. (1)
None of the terms (a) -(d) below, can be applied to the question - What is the purpose of the twelve tiny gold spots on a monarch pupa?
- A hypothesis - a proposed explanation for a phenomenon
- An assumption - something that is taken for granted or assumed to be true without proof
- A premise - a proposition that forms the basis of an argument
- A theory - a well-substantiated explanation for a natural phenomenon
iii. Ebright's approach towards finding the purpose of the gold spots on a monarch pupa was highly effective. Elaborate in about 40 words with reference to the extract. (2)
iv. Which phrase would correctly substitute 'a chance' in the given sentence from the extract. (1)
He also got a chance to work during the summer at the entomology laboratory of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research.
