Nitrate: Friend or Foe? by Sameeksha Panda

Greetings once again! It’s been a while since I’ve done this, so you might not have heard the big news: it’s officially time to start our independent research projects! Now would be the time in movies where you spray water everywhere from that glass you’re drinking. But, wait just one moment. Do you know exactly what’s in that water? You might, but many don’t.

In countries like India, where I was born and I grew up, many people drink “contaminated water”, meaning water that has things in it that CAN be dangerous for your health, such as nitrate. It’s caused millions of deaths and diseases so far, and the worst of it is that the people who drink this water don’t even realize how dangerous it can be.

So the question arises: is nitrate (especially in water) good or bad for you?
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Now, you may be convinced: nitrate is no good. But wait, here’s where it gets complicated. Some nitrate isn’t bad for you. In fact, in your gut microbiome, nitrate very much exists and even helps you with your overall health. So the question arises: is nitrate (especially in water) good or bad for you?

Obviously, my curious mind had to step in. Using nitrate as my “contaminant”, I decided that I would investigate just how of an effect nitrate (or in the lab, sodium nitrate) had on the diversity of the fruit fly’s gut microbiome. More diversity, better health, and vice versa.

The experiment seemed straightforward, but it quickly became daunting once I realized all the parts to it, from setting up the vials to doing the actual assay. Thankfully, both these past few weeks of experience and the amazing TAs and instructors (and of course my talented peers), I’ve gotten off to a pretty successful start to my project. I feel confident that with their support, I’ll soon have real data from my very first lab research project to display.

Having the chance to perform the research that I’ve put so much effort into gathering in such an amazing setting as TRIP is a first for me, but I’m grateful for the opportunity. I can’t wait to see where this journey takes me, and I hope you’ll be back the next time I share my adventures! Bye for now!