Sample Collection: Researchers collected biological samples from the stela for both fungal (mycological) and bacterial (bacteriological) analyses. To study bacteria, they used a sterile cotton swab technique to take samples.Sample Preparation: The collected swab samples were mixed with 10 milliliters of clean and sterilized water. To ensure even mixing, they shook this mixture on a mechanical shaker for 15 minutes.Heat Treatment: The mixture was then heated in a water bath at 70°C for 15 minutes. This step was done to get rid of the live bacterial cells and focus on spore-forming bacteria, especially a type known as Bacillus.Inoculation: After heat treatment, the samples were placed on a special type of gel called nutrient agar medium. This serves as food for bacteria to grow.Incubation: The petri dishes containing the samples were put in a controlled environment at 27°C for 48 hours. This temperature encourages any remaining bacteria to grow.Colony Selection: After 48 hours, if bacteria were present, they would have multiplied and formed visible colonies. Researchers selected these colonies for further analysis.Purification: To make sure they were studying only one type of bacteria at a time, the selected colonies were further separated and purified by streaking them onto the same nutrient agar medium.Staining: To understand the characteristics of the purified bacteria, they were subjected to staining techniques. One stain is called a Gram stain, which helps identify the structure of the bacterial cell wall, and the other is a spore stain, which helps identify the presence of spores.Microscopic Examination: The stained bacteria were then examined under a microscope to gather more information about their structure and characteristics.In essence, this process involved collecting samples, separating and isolating the bacteria, and then characterizing them based on various properties to better understand what types of bacteria were present on the stela.