Yogurt, biofuel, biodegradable plastics, and antibiotics are all examples of products
based on biotechnology research and manufacturing techniques. What else will we be able to create as we use biotechnology in new ways? You can explore some of these techniques for yourself with projects from our biotechnology techniques science and engineering project list.
It is fun to shake up a snow globe and watch the "snow" slowly fall. You can imagine that if the snow fell down very quickly it would be disappointing. But there are times when scientists in a laboratory want this to happen. Scientists use samples that have liquid mixed with small, solid pieces (like the inside of a snow globe), and they need all of the solid pieces in a clump, separated from the liquid. Instead of waiting for the pieces to slowly fall out of the liquid, scientists speed up…
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BioChem_p041
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- Less Details
Time Required
Short (2-5 days)
Prerequisites
None
Material Availability
You will need to purchase the centrifuge tubes online. See the Materials and Equipment section for details.
All living things have DNA inside their cells. How do scientists extract the DNA from cells in order to study it? In this science experiment you can make your own DNA extraction kit from household chemicals and use it to extract DNA from strawberries.
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How much iron is in your cereal? In this experiment, you will devise a way of testing foods for supplemental iron additives. Then you will use your design to test different breakfast cereals to see how much iron they contain. Which brand of cereal will have the most iron in it?
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How do scientists "copy" DNA? They use a process called the Polymerase Chain Reaction, or PCR. The key to making this process work is having a short piece of DNA, called a primer, that will stick to the larger piece of DNA you want to copy, called a template. In this science project, you will test how the number of matches and mismatches in a primer will affect its ability to stick, or anneal, to the DNA template during PCR.
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Sometimes science can be really messy or use pretty disgusting ingredients. That is what it takes to understand how the world works, even if the experiment isn't pretty. Do you like chemical reactions that stink and ooze foamy bubbles? Do you think it sounds fun to make a super gross liver smoothie? Then this is the experiment for you!
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BioChem_p030
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Time Required
Very Short (≤ 1 day)
Prerequisites
none
Material Availability
Readily available
Cost
Very Low (under $20)
Safety
Use caution when handling the sharp knife and the blender. An adult may need to assist with these steps. Also completely disinfect any surface that the raw liver touches.
Imagine that you could make an important piece of laboratory equipment in your kitchen. With this science project idea, you can! You will create your own centrifuge out of a salad spinner and some putty. In science labs, centrifuges are used to separate different liquids and/or solids from each other. You can load your homemade centrifuge with samples and see how they separate. What
do you think happens to melted butter in a centrifuge?
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BioChem_p040
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Time Required
Short (2-5 days)
Prerequisites
None
Material Availability
You will need to purchase the centrifuge tubes online. See the Materials and Equipment section for details.
Ever used a pair of molecular scissors? Restriction enzymes are molecular scissors that cut DNA into pieces. Find out which enzymes will cut, and where by making a restriction map. Then you can figure out what will happen if you change the sequence of the DNA. Will the same enzymes still cut the new DNA sequence?
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Have you ever looked in the kitchen cupboard and found a container of tiny white grains, but you were not sure if they were sugar or salt? They look very similar. How could you tell them apart? Well, you know that sugar and salt taste very different. Taste is actually called a property, and properties are used to describe and identify different materials. Properties can also be used to physically separate things. In this science project, you will use different properties to create a way…
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BioChem_p046
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Time Required
Average (6-10 days)
Prerequisites
None
Material Availability
Iron filings and neodymium magnets may need to be specially ordered. See the Materials and Equipment list for details.
Cost
Low ($20 - $50)
Safety
An adult's help may be needed for using a knife and scissors to cut a plastic bottle. Follow all safety precautions when handling the neodymium magnets; these magnets should never slam together, never pinch fingers or skin, never be swallowed, and should be kept away from all electronic devices. Keep them out of reach of all young children and pets. An adult should help if a stovetop or oven is used.
Do you like solving mysteries? In this experiment, you can find out how a DNA fingerprint can help you figure out whodunit. The answer might just be in the "sequence" of events!
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Do you know why enzymes are oftentimes called the workhorses of biochemistry? It's because they can speed up a wide variety of chemical reactions, and chemists and biologists use enzymes to do all kinds of jobs. In this project, pectinase, an enzyme frequently used in the food industry, will be used to extract juice from apples.
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BioChem_p010
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- Less Details
Time Required
Short (2-5 days)
Prerequisites
None
Material Availability
Specialty Items
Cost
Average ($40 - $80)
Safety
Use care when using sharp knife to chop apples. Do not drink the juice produced in this experiment.
