What is a good Year 12 Biology Experiment that doesnt involve plants or animal behaviour? Something fun simple?
We are unable to do topics on plants as we have already done this or animals. Im interested in Cell Biology or something to do with disease and antibiotics or bacteria, viruses, fungi or enzymes. The easier the better its worth a few marks =] Thanks
I know it’s a bit elementaryish but I’ve always been a fan of observing a goldfish’s metabolic rate through it’s activity in cold compared to warm water. It’s very simple, you can go as in depth with the concept of thermocomformers as you wish to, and you get to play with a goldfish.
If you’re looking for a cell one you can do a similar experiment with bacteria. Take an osmoconformer and and osmoregulator observe them at a set osmolarity which both can survive in. Then change the osmolarity so that you can observe the osmoregulator remain as it was while the osmoconformer shrivels and bloats with the changes. I’d recommend using 3 of each as the osmoconformers are likely to die when outside their safe range.
could talk about sterilyzation techniques. Or what we did in first year bio (uni)
get some agar plates, and add the following;
1. wipe the inside of your mouth with a cotton bud, apply to agar plate in a zig zag (make sure marks dont come near each other as colonies can get quite large)
2. wipe finger in same pattern over agar plate
3. find something else random that is thought to be clean yet used every day to it.
Have the colonies incubated (ur teacher should be able to do this) for a week. then check the colonies, graph and photograph results.
Look at under microscope, sketch. comment etc.
Get some high power disinfectant and add one drop to the largest colonies, mix it up to see variance, and report findings. note; after applying dissinfectant, incubate for upto 3 days. see/graph/photograph/comment on results. view area where colonoes were under microscope.
Its hells as fun