4 Popular Biology Experiments for High School Students – What are the most popular biology experiments for high school students? If you are a biology teacher, you’ll want to know which biology experiments are the most popular for your students. You’ll also want to know which ones aren’t as popular. Regardless, you’ll want to know what’s popular for biology students so you can plan your labs around that.
Observe the planaria
Observe the planaria in 4 popular biology experiments for high school students. Planaria, part of the phylum Platyhelminthes, are free-living aquatic flatworms. They are characterized by an elongated body, a muscular tube on the underside, and two heads.
The planarian’s stem cells are highly capable of regeneration, allowing for the formation of new organs. They coordinate many activities, including cell migration, gene regulation, and cell death.
For their research project, students investigated the regeneration of planaria. They learned about the importance of environmental cues. They also examined the role of RNA interference.
In addition to learning about planarians, students performed a number of RNA interference experiments. RNA interference is a technique that turns off the function of certain genes. RNAi can be used to block the production of an important protein that helps maintain polarity in planarians. In turn, this reduces eyespots and head regression in planarians.
Students also performed Blastx searches to identify homology in planarian protein sequences. They then analyzed protein sequences using SMART, an NCBI Conserved Domain Database Search tool, and InterPro Scan. They concluded that planarians use genes to coordinate their regeneration.
In addition, students conducted an experiment to observe planarians’ preference for dark or light environments. They also measured the decline in responsivity to repeated stimulus presentations. They then recorded their observations and made a data table.
In the second part of the course, students conducted RNA interference experiments to investigate the role of planarian genes in regeneration. They used bre1 (RNAi), Dj-b-catenin-1 (RNAi), and control dsRNAi constructs. They found that planarians fed Dj-b-catenin-1 RNAi were more likely to have a crayfish-like body structure with posterior eyespots. Planarians fed control dsRNAi showed only minor head regression.
In the final lab, students performed an experiment to demonstrate the spontaneous recovery of planarian trunk fragments. They learned that planarians have a unique nervous system in their forward end. They also learned that planarians are sensitive to environmental stimuli at the head end. They also learned that planarians regrow their bodies from body fragments.
Finally, students performed a variety of other experiments to investigate the role of genes in planarian regeneration. They also learned about the importance of bioelectrical signaling in the regeneration process.
Observe the photoreceptors
Using the retina as a guinea pig in a pinch is a bit of a risky move, particularly for novice researchers. A well-designed study on the subject has resulted in a handful of interesting discoveries. For instance, a surprising proportion of the cells contain rods which are prone to photoblepharmic degeneration and a surprisingly high proportion of them are tad too old for their own good. In the tad too old for their own bad category, a few noteworthy exceptions have been found as well.
The study’s biggest takeaway is that the retina has at least two distinct functional regions. The most obvious of these is the inner segment which houses the cones whereas the outer segment houses the rods. For this reason, the outer segments are actually elongated compared to their respective inner counterparts. The confluence of these two regions may explain the remarkable complexity of the retina at this scale. The aforementioned study was only the second such study to be reported, but it does offer a well-rounded view of the ocular sphere at this particular scale. The results are quite robust and should be of interest to researchers in the near future. The study was designed as a double blind, placebo-controlled study to be conducted over a period of two months.
Observe the catalase
Observe the catalase in popular biology experiments for high school students. Catalase is an enzyme found in almost all living organisms. It prevents the damaging effects of oxidative compounds. It decomposes hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen.
The catalase enzyme is found in the liver of chickens and other animals. It acts as a catalyst for the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide. It is also found in various tissues of plants. It has four porphyrin heme iron groups, allowing it to react with hydrogen peroxide. The enzyme acts on forty million molecules of hydrogen peroxide per second.
To do the catalase test, you need to prepare hydrogen peroxide and catalase solution. You will need dishwashing soap to make the solution stable. You can also change the pH. The pH will affect the catalase reaction.
To measure the catalase activity, you can dunk paper disks into the solution. The height of the bubbles indicates the catalase’s activity. You can also add a small strip of potato to the test tube. You can leave the strip in the solution for five minutes.
The catalase enzyme breaks down hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen. The catalase reaction rate is dependent on the concentration of the enzyme and the substrate. The concentration of hydrogen peroxide will also influence the catalase reaction rate.
To prepare the catalase test, you need to prepare the test tubes, hydrogen peroxide, dishwashing soap, and a graduated cylinder. You can also use other sources of catalase. These sources may not work as well. If you want to do the experiment on your own, you can purchase the ingredients from a science supply store.
You can also do the catalase test in the high school biology laboratory. You will need to prepare a potato homogenate and measure the volume of water to the weight of potato cubes. The students will then filter the mixture through cheesecloth. You can also make the potato homogenate a few days in advance and refrigerate it.
Once the students have prepared the catalase and hydrogen peroxide solutions, they can mix the ingredients together in the graduated cylinder. They will then add dishwashing soap and yeast to the solution. Once the ingredients are mixed, they can place the graduated cylinder on ice. They should then measure the reaction rate (0.0 – 5.0) in each tube. They can then record the data in Table 8.4.
Mendel’s genetic pea plant experiments
Gregor Mendel’s genetic pea plant experiments for high school students helped scientists and researchers define various traits in plants and humans. Mendel discovered relationships between chromosomes and developed laws of segregation and dominance. He also discovered how traits were inherited.
Mendel selected pea lines with different traits and bred them to each other. He found that these traits were stable. He then observed the outcome over many generations. He recorded the traits and named them factor genes. He also developed rules for inheritance. He identified seven characteristics in peas that were contrasting. He selected true-breeding plants. Mendel’s research focused on peas, which are easily grown and self-pollinating.
Mendel established two true-breeding pea lines. He crossed each to the other and counted the number of plants that showed each trait. He also examined F1 progeny and collected seeds. He called the first-generation offspring F1 because they were tall. He grew the plants until they were pure breeding. He then collected seeds from the F2 generation. He found that the plants inherited the Y allele from one parent and the G allele from the other parent.
Mendel studied seven traits in peas. The traits were height, round or wrinkled seed, circular form, color, visible form, hidden form, and color. He called the yellow color a dominant trait and the green color a recessive trait. He found that the recessive green allele was never altered by the dominant yellow allele. He also found that the recessive trait resurfaced in the F2 generation.
Mendel conducted several experiments and found that a plant can be self-pollinated or cross-pollinated. The female part of the flower contains pollen that is carried to the stigma of another flower. Pollen combines with the stigma to produce an offspring.
In Mendel’s genetic pea plant experiments, he found that the plants with round seeds were expected to produce offspring with round seeds. He found that 75 percent of the F2 generation plants had round seeds. He also found that the offspring had a chance to have wrinkled seeds. He also found that the plants with wrinkled peas produced offspring with wrinkled peas.
