The end of the National Science Week celebration is soon coming. However the last experiments are well worth the wait. For today’s experiment, we will be conducting one of the most basic science experiments for kids. Using basic gear such as cover slips and slides, we will be looking at hair under a microscope in hope to explore the differences between people’s hair.
What is hair?
Hair can be found on all mammals in the world, from people to pets to other animals. They serve many purposes such as keeping you warm and cooling you down, camouflage or signalling others when there is danger nearby, protecting you from dirt or sweat. While they all have similar functions, hair can vary in many ways and look very different to each other. For example, hair on a person’s head looks quite different to fur (hair with a greater density) on your pet dog or a koala’s back. Hair on an animal’s body may also look thicker or thinner than hair elsewhere. This is because hair varies between individuals and species. However, its structure is the same!
The Composition and Structure of Hair
Hair is mainly made up of a protein called keratin which may also be found in your nails, and also in claws, horns, features and such of various other animals. With hair under a microscope, you will be able to see that hair is not just a straight tube like what it looks on the outside but is actually made up of three different layers: the cuticle, the cortex and the medulla.
The Cuticle – The outermost layer of the hair shaft and is responsible for the protection of the hair. The health of the shaft is dictated by the health of the cuticle layer. You can determine the health of your cuticle layer very simply based on appearance. Healthy cuticle layers appear as straight tubes whereas unhealthier cuticle layers will appear dry, frayed or raised.
The Cortex – The hair cortex is the middle layer of the hair shaft. The cortex is responsible for giving your hair its colour.
The Medulla – The medulla is the innermost layer of the hair shaft and is only found in thick hair.
In this exercise, we will be using a stereo microscope to see if we can identify these three layers of hair!
Looking at Hair In Detail Experiment
Materials:
- Stereo Microscope
- Hair samples from people and pets
- Blank slides
- Cover slips
Instructions
- Gather hair samples from people and pets (with permission!)
- Place a strand of hair on a blank slides and add a drop of water on top.
- Use a coverslip to prevent the hair from moving
- Observe under a stereo microscope.
- Draw out what you see through the microscope and label them accordingly.
Did you find all three layers of the hair? Did your pet’s hair have the same layers? If you have any questions about what you have learned today, please leave a comment down below!
Catch up on the previous days
