You already know that medicines like antibiotics and aspirin can make you feel
better when you are sick, but how do researchers find new medicines? Do
medications work the same way for everyone? How can we use medicine to treat
genetic diseases? Discover the answers to these questions and more by trying one of the medical biotechnology science projects in our collection.
Being sick is no fun, especially when your friends are doing exciting activities that you have to miss out on. Thankfully, common illnesses usually last for just a few days, and then you start to feel better. Why is this? It is thanks to the immune system, which is a group of special organs and cells in your body that constantly work to keep you healthy. In this science project, you will make a simple model to investigate how the immune system defends the human body from common illnesses, and…
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HumBio_p036
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Time Required
Short (2-5 days)
Prerequisites
None
Material Availability
Iron filings may need to be specially ordered. See the Materials and Equipment list for details.
Have you ever heard about different blood types? Do you know what your blood type is? Antibodies
help scientists determine different human blood types. This project is a practical introduction
to the human immune system in which you will learn about what antibodies are, how they are formed,
and how they can be used to identify different types of cells.
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BioChem_p008
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Time Required
Very Short (≤ 1 day)
Prerequisites
None
Material Availability
A kit containing specialty items is needed for this science project from our partner
.
See the Materials tab for more details.
Do you know someone who has an autoimmune disease? Autoimmune diseases are fairly common, affecting more than 23.5 million people in the United States, which is about 1 in 13 people! You may have heard of some of them, such as diabetes (type 1), rheumatoid arthritis, and celiac disease. Many autoimmune diseases are poorly understood, but they all have one thing in common: they happen because a person's immune system (which normally fights off germs to keep the person healthy) attacks the…
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Have you ever experienced heartburn after eating a large, greasy meal? Or have you heard of someone complaining about heartburn pains? It's very common; over 60 million people in the U.S. have heartburn at least once every month. Heartburn pain usually results from stomach acids escaping from the stomach and irritating the esophagus above it. Luckily, there are medical drugs, called antacids, which can help relieve heartburn pain. But how do antacids work, and how effective are they? In this…
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BioMed_p010
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Time Required
Short (2-5 days)
Prerequisites
None
Material Availability
Readily available
Cost
Low ($20 - $50)
Safety
Wear safety goggles and gloves and have an adult help you when handling and working with the artificial stomach acid solution.
Hydrochloric acid is corrosive to hands and eyes.
What do pizza, milk shakes, and ice cream sundaes have in common, besides being delicious and loaded with calories? You might be surprised to learn that these foods, because they contain dairy products, cannot be eaten by the majority of people around the world. Dairy products contain the sugar molecule lactose, and the majority of people on the planet slowly begin to lose the ability to digest lactose after the age of 2. In this human biology and health science fair project, you will…
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BioChem_p031
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Time Required
Very Short (≤ 1 day)
Prerequisites
None
Material Availability
A Sugar Metabolism Kit containing some of the specialty supplies needed for this project is available from our partner
.
If lactase drops are not available in your local drug store or grocery store, you will need to order them online. See the Materials
tab for more details.
Antioxidants have become very popular in the news lately for their potential health and anti-aging properties. Antioxidants work by preventing oxidation reactions that produce free-radicals which can cause harm to the body. Try testing different vitamins for antioxidant activity. How do vitamins A, B, C, and E compare? Do some vitamins have more antioxidant activity than others? What are some other sources of antioxidants? Try testing extracts from proposed sources of antioxidants like coffee,…
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HumBio_p001
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Time Required
Short (2-5 days)
Prerequisites
Material Availability
Readily available
Cost
Low ($20 - $50)
Safety
Adult supervision is recommended. Use caution when using sharp knives and do not eat any of your experiments.
Police detectives use various scientific tools to analyze evidence at a crime scene. One of the classic tools is the Kastle-Meyer test for the presence of blood. This test is inexpensive, easy to perform, and provides quick results. The test provides evidence if red spots found at a crime scene are actually blood. But the investigator needs to be careful, since other substances can also give a positive result. In this crime scene chemistry science project, you will learn how to perform the…
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BioChem_p037
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Time Required
Average (6-10 days)
Prerequisites
None
Material Availability
You will need to order the "Presumptive Blood Test" kit online. See the Materials and Equipment list for details.
Cost
Average ($50 - $100)
Safety
Be sure to wear safety goggles and disposable gloves when working with the substances and blood kit.
Our genes are made up of hundreds to millions of building blocks, called DNA nucleotides, and if
just a single nucleotide of DNA becomes mutated it might cause a devastating genetic disease. But
sometimes a mutation actually does no damage. What kinds of mutations have to occur to cause a genetic disease?
In this science project, you will explore online genetic databases to identify how a mutation in a gene
can result in a dysfunctional protein, and how other mutations may have no effect…
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BioMed_p007
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Time Required
Short (2-5 days)
Prerequisites
Basic understanding of what genes, DNA, and proteins are.
Does your skin get dry? Or do you know someone with dry skin? Dry skin can be a real medical problem for some people. You may have seen many kinds of lotions, creams, and ointments advertised as restorative for dry skin, especially dry hands. But how well do they work? And which ingredients are most important in making them work? In this science project, you will create a model of human skin using JELL-O® and test how well skin moisturizing products with different ingredients keep the…
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BioMed_p015
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Time Required
Long (2-4 weeks)
Prerequisites
None
Material Availability
You will need to purchase petri dishes online. See the Materials and Equipment list for details.
Cost
Average ($50 - $100)
Safety
Adult supervision is recommended for using the stove.
