Good Health and Well-Being, Twelfth Grade Science Projects (Page 5)

Natural Antimicrobial Agents

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

What do pneumonia, ear infections and strep throat have in common? When they are caused by bacteria (instead of viruses) they are treated by antibiotics. That sounds simple enough, right? You have probably had antibiotics several times in your life. You go to the doctor because you feel lousy, if he or she determines you have a bacterial infection you get a prescription for antibiotics, and within the first day or so you often start feeling much better. Unfortunately, there is a large… Read more

Trace Your Ancient Ancestry Through DNA

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Did you ever wonder about your ancient ancestors? Who they were? Where they came from? In this science project, you will investigate the secrets of your distant past as revealed by your DNA. In order to obtain a sample for DNA analysis, you will scrape a soft swab inside your mouth to collect cheek cells. The cheek cell sample will be sent to a lab for processing, and the results of the analysis will be sent to you. Based on the genetic markers in your DNA, the ancient clan that your… Read more

Zapping Yeast with X-rays

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Have you ever wondered how X-rays affect living organisms? You have probably had X-rays taken at the dentist's or doctor's office. These X-rays are considered to be relatively safe, but every X-ray exposes a person to some radiation, specifically electromagnetic radiation. Radiation is energy that travels through space as either waves or high speed particles. Watch this video to learn more about electromagnetic radiation. When the energy in X-rays encounters an object, it can… Read more

Protein Structure and Function

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

How a biological system functions is a consequence of the 3-D structures of biological macromolecules like proteins and protein complexes. Proteins can be categorized into different protein families based upon sequence, structure, and function. Typically, proteins in the same family have similar biochemical functions. You can investigate the structure of a protein by using protein databases (Entrez Protein, SwissProt, PDB) and 3-D computational models. You can compare the structures of… Read more

Purification Strategies

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

In order to study individual biochemical compounds like proteins, DNA, or RNA, biochemists need to know how to purify these components from a complex mixture. This is especially important for biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, which sell purified biochemicals as reagents or drugs to consumers. Do an experiment to purify DNA, RNA, or protein from a complex mixture (for purifying DNA, see the Science Buddies project Extracting Onion DNA). The source of the material can be a cell… Read more

Solubility of Proteins

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Some proteins are soluble in aqueous solutions and some are not. Insoluble proteins can be a problem because the proteins can form large aggregates in solution which are difficult to purify, crystallize, and use in experiments. Compare the amino acid sequence and 3-D structures of some soluble and insoluble proteins (Berman, 2000). Is the structure polar or non-polar, and how might this affect solubility? How do detergents make an insoluble protein more soluble? Investigate how this… Read more

Catalytic RNA and Structure

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Some sequences of RNA can catalyze biochemical reactions, much like protein enzymes. These catalytic RNA sequences are called ribozymes. The function of a ribozyme depends upon the primary sequence of the RNA which folds into a 3-D structure. How do different ribozyme sequences fold? You can search for ribozyme sequences using Entrez BLAST (NCBI, 2006). Then you can use a program like MFOLD (http://bioweb.pasteur.fr/seqanal/interfaces/mfold-simple.html) to submit your sequence for an… Read more

Fish Markets and Sustainability

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

The sustainability of our ocean fisheries is a topic of concern for many, including environmentalists and fishermen who make their living on the bounty of the sea. It is important to use sustainable fishing practices so that our fisheries are not over-fished leading to a decline in productivity. Some states require fish markets to post information about their fish so that consumers can make informed decisions about which fish to buy. They post the type of fish (e.g., Coho Salmon), the source of… Read more

Good Health and Well-Being, Twelfth Grade Science Projects (48 results)

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