Human biology, health, and behavior
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Human Homeostasis
Adjust the levels of clothing, perspiration, and exercise to maintain a stable internal temperature as the external temperature changes. … Water and blood sugar levels need to be replenished regularly, and fatigue occurs with heavy exercise. Severe hypothermia, heat stroke, or dehydration can result if internal stability is not maintained.
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Human Evolution - Skull Analysis
Compare the skulls of a variety of significant human ancestors, or hominids. Use available tools to measure lengths, areas, and angles … of important features. Each skull can be viewed from the front, side, or from below. Additional information regarding the age, location, and discoverer of each skull can be displayed.
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Disease Spread
Observe the spread of disease through a group of people. The methods of transmission can be chosen and include person to person, airborne, … and foodborne as well as any combination thereof. The probability of each form of transmission and number of people in the group can also be adjusted.
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Human Karyotyping
Sort and pair the images of human chromosomes obtained in a scan. Find differences in the scans of the various patients to find out … specific things that can cause disease, as well as the gender of the person.
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Virus Lytic Cycle
Release a lytic virus in a group of cells and observe how cells are infected over time and eventually destroyed. Data related to the number … of healthy cells, infected cells, and viruses can be recorded over time to determine the time required for the virus to mature within a cell.
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Drug Dosage
A drug prescription must be carefully planned to maximize benefit while avoiding an overdose. In this Gizmo, you can give a patient one … or more pills, and monitor the levels of medication in the body through time. Based on the reaction of the patient, determine the ideal levels of medication. Create a dosage schedule so these levels are maintained through time. Four types of pills, each with a different release pattern and target organ, are available for use. Elimination of the drug provides a good example of exponential decay.
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Dye Elimination
When a foreign substance such as a drug is ingested, it often remains in the bloodstream for a long time. This Gizmo models the elimination … of substances from the bloodstream using water and dye. Add dye to a container of water, and then add beakers of pure water while removing beakers of dyed water. The amount of dye remaining is recorded after each cycle. The volumes of all containers can be adjusted, as well as the amount of dye used. This provides a good example of exponential decay.
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Hearing: Frequency and Volume
Test your hearing range by listening to low-, medium-, and high-frequency sounds. Compare the relative loudness of sounds at each frequency … to create an equal-loudness curve. In a quiet room, measure your threshold of audibility for each frequency, and compare your results to others. The volume of each sound can be adjusted.
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Sight vs. Sound Reflexes
Measure your reaction time by clicking your mouse as quickly as possible when visual or auditory stimuli are presented. The … individual response times are recorded, as well as the average and standard deviation for each test. A histogram of data shows overall trends in sight and sound response times. The type of test as well as the symbols and sounds used are chosen by the user.
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Time Estimation
Try to estimate the passage of time by selecting a time interval, clicking the Start button, and clicking Stop when you think the interval … has passed. The estimate and percent error are recorded. Compare different techniques for estimating time, as well as the average error for long time intervals versus shorter intervals.
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Real-Time Histogram
Try to click your mouse once every two seconds. The time interval between each click is recorded, as well as the error and percent error. … Data can be displayed in a table, histogram or graph. Observe and measure the characteristics of the resulting distribution as large amounts of data are collected.
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Reverse the Field
Measure the time required to "point and click" when the mouse behaves in a normal fashion, and when the direction of motion is reversed … from left to right, up to down, or both. Run several experiments in each mode to see if your brain and muscles are able to adapt to the new direction of motion. Determine which type of inversion is easiest to adjust to, and whether you can train yourself to function normally when the inversion is present.
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Identifying Nutrients
Use a variety of real-world lab tests to analyze common food samples in order to determine if the food is a carbohydrate, a protein, or … a lipid. Tests that can be performed include: Benedict, Lugol, Biuret, and Sudan Red.
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