There are many possible pieces of apparatus used in a biology laboratory, some of the most common can include:
A Petri dish is commonly used in biology experiments when growing things such as bacteria, plants and fungi which will later be analyzed by students and scientists. A Petri dish is usually a shallow, flat, round dish made from either plastic or glass.
Incubators are used to keep a particular specimen at the ideal temperature or level of humidity for the appropriate analysis or manipulation.
- Cover slips or cover slides
Cover slips and slides are essentially the same thing, an extremely thin sheet of glass placed over a slide when a specimen has been placed onto a slide. The slide will flatten the specimen to make it easier to analyze and study when viewing it through a microscope. The slide will also act as a shield to protect both the microscope and the specimen as well preventing evaporation or contamination.
Test tubes are cylindrical U-shaped tubes of glass which allow observation, measuring and mixing. Items related to biological studies are placed inside and a test tube holder is used to hold many test tubes in place. This is necessary because test tubes have a rounded bottom and need support to stand up. Test tubes should not be confused with boiling tubes which are suitable to be used with a Bunsen burner as they can withhold high temperatures which would shatter a test tube.
Staining dishes are often used in microbiology whereby dye is added to a substance to establish if another specific substance is present. The dishes contain slides which can be used for a development chamber.
These are used to ensure sterilization is achieved. A product is placed under extreme pressure and high temperatures, sometimes for biological reasons but also to sterilize other lab instruments before use in scientific experiments.
