UPD8

Art Attack

Learning objectives

Students will analyse data and determine the best way to eliminate populations of bacteria, fungi and insects.

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Curriculum link

Microbes and disease [QCA 8c] – bacteria and fungi are micro organisms.

Running the activity

Page 1 sets the scene and puts students in charge of the BugBuster.com help desk. They need to respond to FAQ’s about pest control in museums and art galleries. The information they need is on page 3 and there is a template on page 2 where they can record their decisions.

Suggested solutions:

Q HELP - Termites are destroying historic documents in the Kenyan national museum. What is the best way to save them?
A Fumigate with Vikane to poison the termites. Don’t allow humans to come into contact with the poison.

Q Wood boring beetles are turning this famous Venezuelan statue to sawdust. How can I stop this vicious attack?
A Inject the statue with bacteria. They will infect the larvae and produce a toxin that kills them. Different species of beetle larvae are attacked by different bacteria, so you must identify them accurately. You may need to sequence their DNA to check.

Q Something is ruining my paintings. Suffocation doesn’t work in the humid Brazilian climate. What else can I do?
A Cook the pests by heating the artwork. This kills insects, bacteria and fungi but it is risky. You could damage the paint.

Q That known museum wrecker - the black carpet beetle is destroying important documents. What can we do to eradicate it?
A Use suffocation – it will not damage the documents.

Q A fungus has made grey and black stains on one of our 19th century drawings. How can we stop this infestation spreading?
A Cook the pests by heating the artwork. It’s a cheap method and the drawings will not be damaged.

Q Bacteria are eating away at the carved stone blocks of our ancient Mexican ruins. How can we kill them? A Fumigate the stone with poison. The stone can’t easily be put in a container, so you can’t cook or suffocate the bacteria.

Web links

News links

New scientist

Comprehensive article describing issues, treatments and the beetle larvae infection of the Venezuelan statue in particular.

Digital Learning Centre for Microbial Ecology

Lots of fun information about microbes.

Microbes Alive

Lots of fun information about microbes.

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