What makes up every living thing? Biomolecules! Specifically, we learned about carbohydrates, proteins (amino acids), and fats (lipids) this week. After a review of the scientific process and the basic facts about atoms and molecules that we've been working with this month, we watched a video on biomolecules to introduce todays topic (link below). Then, we were ready to do some discovery. Our lab groups were each given a set of food samples--vegetable oil, corn starch, glucose, egg white powder, water, and an unknown substance. They ran a series of tests, using different indicators, to determine which biomolecules were in each of these substances. They saw how iodine changes from brown to black when starch is present, or blue Biuret reagent reacts with protein and turns purple. They also saw how sometimes it can be hard to interpret results that aren't as clear or obvious as others, and how there can be other explanations for a result. We are learning as much about how scientist work as we are about the science itself. Precision is key! We will be doing a follow up activity next week, but here are a few other ideas if you want to learn a little more about biomolecules this week.
Videos: Amoeba Sisters Biomolecules Crash Course: Biological Molecules Bozeman Science: Carbohydrates Bozeman Science: Lipids Bozeman Science: Proteins Activities: Become an expert on the groups of biomolecules: link here Evaluate what you eat for a day. Look at labels, discuss which foods are made of each macromolecule. We literally are what we eat--our food was once alive, and all living things are made of the same building blocks, so we are made of the same things that our food is made of.
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May 2020
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