Update 3/28/13

A couple of things have changed since the last update. There is more mold and rot, a lot more leakage, and the bag is beginning to fill with air. I wonder if the tomato is giving off some gasses due to the reactions that are causing the rot and decomposition. 

Update 3/23/13

In addition to the rot and the bits of mold spreading down the tomato, it seems to be leaking some nasty looking rotten juice. I'm assuming that all the rotten juices are now able to leak out since the skin of the tomato is breaking down. I wonder if it is dripping from the rotten spots at the top, or if it is coming out the bottom. It looks to be coming out the bottom, but the skin down there is still intact. 

Update 3/20/13

I did some research on the difference between molding and rotting. I was right in what I thought before, that mold grows on something, and rotting is simply the decomposition of the matter into simpler matter. I definitely think that there is a little bit of both going on here now. I'm guessing that the black areas are rotting, and the lighter greenish areas are mold growing on it as well. There seems to be more moisture in the bag than there was before also. 

Update 3/11/13

The rotten spots seem to be getting a lot more dark and large. I'm wondering if it is just rotting, or if mold is growing. Or possibly they are the same thing. I always figured mold to be something that grows on top of something else, but the tomato seems to be actually changing somehow. If teaching a concept like this to the class, it may be helpful to give them some background knowledge of mold, and physical and chemical changes, so they may be able to better understand what is going on. Or to make it even more of an inquiry, not have them have an idea before, but to talk about it after so they can apply those concepts to the project. 

Update 3/5/13

I rotated the bag to the left, so the spot pictured here on the left is the same spot as on the right. The spot does seem to be growing as I predicted, but the center has caught up and surpassed it in mold and rotten growth. I've also noticed a little bit of moisture gathering in the bottom right hand corner of the bag.