We present a new use for a poorly preserved turtle specimen that teachers can easily use in demonstrating vertebrate anatomy or adaptive herpetology at the high school or college level. We give special attention to illustrating the sigmoid flexure of the neck as certain turtles withdraw their heads. This ability is anatomically and biologically…

A simple and inexpensive method of monitoring the movement of an isolated frog heart provides comparable results to those obtained with a force transducer. A commercially available photoresistor is integrated into a Wheatstone bridge circuit, and the output signal is interfaced directly with a recording device. An excised, beating frog heart is…

The comprehension of chromosome movement during mitosis and meiosis is essential for understanding genetic transmission, but students often find this process difficult to grasp in a classroom setting. I propose a "double-spring model" that incorporates a physical demonstration and can be used as a teaching tool to help students understand this…

The transport of water in plants is among the most difficult and challenging concepts to explain to students. It is even more difficult for students enrolled in an introductory general biology course. An easy approach is needed to demonstrate this complex concept. I describe visual and pedagogical examples that can be performed quickly and easily…

This activity provides students an interactive demonstration of the electron transport chain and chemiosmosis during aerobic respiration. Students use simple, everyday objects as hydrogen ions and electrons and play the roles of the various proteins embedded in the inner mitochondrial membrane to show how this specific process in cellular…

Information in the nervous system is conveyed by impulses called action potentials: large, transient electrochemical changes in a neuron's membrane. Though action potentials are a basic feature of neurons, teachers often have trouble explaining this neurophysiological concept, and students have difficulty understanding it. While easy-to-understand…

The overhead projector is an excellent tool for teachers at both the high school and college level. Teachers often use it to display class notes as they monitor students' actions and reactions to the concepts being presented and discussed, to display diagrams and figures too complex to draw on the chalkboard, and more recently to display computer…

Several hands-on and wet laboratory activities have been proposed to model the genetic concepts of genotypes and phenotypes and their relationship. The exercise presented in this article is a novel, time effective, student-centered, role-playing activity in which students learn about the intricate connection between genotype and phenotype by…

Described is an activity used to introduce the anatomy of the skeletal and muscular systems. A teacher conducted, video enhanced demonstration and a student activity are discussed. Included is a sample student laboratory paper. (CW)

Describes a demonstration with mothballs that simulates the ballast mechanism of a fish air bladder. (BR)

Presented are five science teaching ideas including: (1) a method for anesthetizing frogs with Finquel, (2) a demonstration of gene drift utilizing poppet beads, (3) description of a successful school arboretum project, (4) the use of acrylic plastic for making science laboratory equipment, and (5) a description of a model cell made from Baggies.…

Describes a method for measuring osmotic potential which is suitable for high school and college biology classes. This method introduces students to the hard-to-visualize technique of using density gradients to separate cells or cell constituents of differing densities. (JR)