experiment of biology

Top 30 Biology Experiments for High-School

The field of biology offers a wide range of fascinating experiments that can deepen our understanding of the living world around us. From studying the behavior of cells to investigating the intricacies of ecosystems, biologists use a variety of methods to uncover the secrets of life.

We’ve compiled a captivating list of 30 biology experiments that are both educational and fun and also suitable for a wide range of ages.

These hands-on educational activities will not only deepen your appreciation for the intricacies of life but also fuel your curiosity and passion for scientific exploration.

So, roll up your sleeves, gather your lab equipment, and prepare to embark on an exciting adventure through the fascinating world of biology-based science experiments!

1. Grow a Butterfly

Students can gain knowledge about the various phases of development, from the egg to the larva to the pupa to the adult butterfly, by studying and taking care of a butterfly during its whole life cycle. This offers students a special chance to learn about the insect life cycle and the metamorphosis process.

Learn more: Elemental Science

2. Dissecting a Flower

Dissecting a flower can aid students in honing their analytical and observational skills. This may also aid in their comprehension of how a flower’s various components interact to facilitate reproduction, which is the flower’s main objective.

Learn More: How to Dissect a Flower

3. Extracting a DNA

The extraction of DNA is an excellent experiment for high school students to gain a better understanding of the principles of molecular biology and genetics. This experiment  helps students to understand the importance of DNA in research and its applications in various fields, such as medicine, biotechnology, and forensics.

Learn more: Extracting DNA

4. Looking at Fingerprints

Exploring fingerprints can be a fun and intriguing experiment. This experiment encourages students to develop their problem-solving skills and attention to detail, as they must carefully analyze and compare the various fingerprint patterns.

Fingerprint analysis is a fascinating and engaging experiment that can spark an interest in forensic science and provide students with a hands-on learning experience.

Learn more: Directions to Examine a Fingerprint

5. Cultivate Bacteria on Home Made Agar

This experiment provides a hands-on learning experience for students to understand the principles of microbiology and the techniques used in bacterial culture.

This experiment can also help students to understand the importance of bacteria in our daily lives, their role in human health, and their applications in various fields, such as biotechnology and environmental science.  

Learn more: Grow bacteria on Homemade Agar Plates

6. Make a Bioluminescent Lamp

This experiment provides an excellent opportunity for high school students to learn about bioluminescence and the principles of genetic engineering.

Creating a bioluminescent lamp is a fun and engaging way to explore the intersection of biology, chemistry, and physics, making it a perfect experiment for students interested in science and technology.

Learn more: Make Glowing Water

7. Make Plants Move with Light

This experiment can help students understand the role of light in plant growth and photosynthesis and the importance of light as an environmental factor for plant survival. 

Learn more: Experiments with Phototropism

8. Test the Five-Second Rule

The “5-second rule” experiment is a simple and fun way to investigate the validity of the popular belief that it is safe to eat food that has been dropped on the ground for less than 5 seconds.

The experiment is an engaging and informative way to explore the science behind a common belief and promote critical thinking and scientific inquiry among students.

Learn more: Five Second Rule

9. Examine How Antibiotics Affect Bacteria

This experiment is an excellent opportunity for high school students to develop their laboratory skills, such as aseptic technique and bacterial culture, and understand the principles of antibiotic resistance and its implications for human health.

Examining how antibiotics affect bacteria is a fascinating and educational experiment that promotes scientific inquiry and critical thinking among students.

Learn more: Learn About Bacteria

10. Look for Cell Mitosis in an Onion

This experiment is an excellent opportunity for high school students to develop their microscopy skills and understand the biological basis of growth and development in plants. This experiment is a fun and informative way to explore the world of cells and their role in the growth and development of living organisms.

Learn more: Onion Root Mitosis

11. Test the Effects of Disinfectants

Testing the effects of disinfectants is an important process in determining their efficacy in killing or reducing the number of microorganisms on a surface or object. Disinfectants can be hazardous if not used correctly, and testing their effects can help students understand how to use them safely.

Students can learn about proper handling techniques and how to interpret safety labels and warning signs.

Learn more: Antiseptic and Disinfectants

12. Microwave Seed Gardening

Microwave seed gardening is a quick and efficient method of germinating seeds, microwave seed gardening can be a useful method for starting seeds, but it should be used with care and in conjunction with other germination methods to ensure the best possible results. 

Learn more: Microwave plant

13. Water Bottle Bacteria Swab

This experiment can be a fun and informative way to learn about the importance of keeping water bottles clean and free from harmful bacteria. It can also be used to compare the cleanliness of different types of water bottles, such as metal, plastic, or glass.

Learn more: Swabbing Water Bottles

14. Frog Dissection

Frog dissection can be a valuable tool for teaching anatomy and physiology to high school students, as it provides a comprehensive examination of the internal organs and systems of the frog.

Dissection can be a valuable and engaging experiment for high school students interested in biology and life science.

Learn more: Frog Dissection

15. Witness the Carbon Cycle in Action

By witnessing the carbon cycle in action, learners can gain a better understanding of the interconnectedness of different parts of the Earth’s system and the impact that human activities can have on these processes.

Learn more: Carbon Cycle Lab

16. Investigate the Efficacy of Types of Fertilizer

Investigating the efficacy of different types of fertilizer can be an interesting and informative way to learn about plant growth and nutrition. Investigating the efficacy of different types of fertilizer is a practical and engaging way to learn about plant nutrition and the role of fertilizers in agriculture.

Learn more: Best Fertilizer

17. Explore the Impact of Genetic Modification on Seeds

Exploring the impact of genetic modification on seeds is a fascinating and relevant topic that can spark meaningful discussions and encourage learners to think critically about the role of science and technology in society.

Learn more: Genetically Modified (GM) Crops

18. Yeast Experiment

Another easy to perform experiment for high school students is the yeast. This experiment is simple since all that is required is the removal of four different food samples onto separate plates and a thorough examination of the mold that develops on each sample over time.

Learn more: Grow Yeast Experiment

19. Taste Perception 

The human tongue has specialized taste receptors that respond to five primary tastes: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami (savory). Taste perception plays an important role in determining food preferences and dietary habits, as well as influencing the overall eating experience.

Learn more: Taste perception

20. Pea Plant Genetics

A classic pea plant genetics experiment involves cross breeding pea plants with different traits, such as flower color, seed shape, or pod shape.

This experiment can be conducted in a controlled environment, such as a greenhouse, by manually transferring pollen from one plant to another.

Learn more: Gregor Mendel Pea Experiment

21. Comparing Animal and Plant Cells

Comparing animal and plant cells is an important exercise in biology education. Both animal and plant cells are eukaryotic cells, meaning they contain a nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles.

This exercise can help students understand the structure and function of cells, as well as appreciate the diversity of life on Earth.

Learn more: Comparing Plant Cell and Animal Cell

22.  Testing Bacteria 

Bacteria are easily accessible and can be grown in a laboratory or even at home with simple equipment and materials. This makes it a practical and cost-effective experiment for schools with limited resources.

Learn more: How to grow Bacteria and more

23. The Effect of Light on Growth

Light is a fundamental environmental factor that plays a crucial role in the growth and development of plants. By conducting this experiment, students can gain a deeper understanding of how light affects plant growth and why it is important.

Learn more: The effect of light in Plant Growth

24. Planaria Regeneration

Planaria regeneration allows students to design their own experiments, as they can choose which body parts to remove and study the effects of different variables, such as temperature, pH, or chemical treatments on the regeneration process.

Planaria are easy to obtain and maintain in a laboratory or classroom setting. They are also affordable, making it an ideal experiment for schools with limited resources.

Learn more: Planaria Experiment

25. Making a Seed Board

Making a seed board can be a fun and engaging activity for students, as they can see the progress of their plants over time and share their results with others. It can also foster a sense of responsibility and ownership in caring for their plants.

26. Design an Owl Pellet

Dissecting an owl pellet provides a hands-on learning experience for students, allowing them to practice skills in scientific observation, data collection, and analysis. Students can also learn about the anatomy of the prey species found in the owl pellet.

27. Grow an Herbal Cutting

Growing an herb cutting provides a hands-on learning experience for students, allowing them to practice skills in plant care, experimental design, and data collection. Students can learn about the different stages of plant growth and the factors that affect it.

28. Eat a Cell Model

Creating an edible cell model connects to various disciplines, such as biology, anatomy, and nutrition. Students can learn about the different organelles that make up a cell and their functions, as well as the nutritional value of the food materials used in the model

29. Make a Habitat Diorama

Making a habitat diorama provides a hands-on learning experience for students, allowing them to practice skills in research, creative design, and presentation. Students can learn about different ecosystems and the organisms that inhabit them.

30. Create a Fall Leaf (or Signs of Spring) Journal

Creating a fall leaf (or signs of spring) journal provides a hands-on learning experience for students, allowing them to practice skills in observation, data collection, and analysis. Students can learn about the changes that occur in nature during the fall or spring season.

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20 Fun and Interesting Biology Experiments for High School 

Jennifer is a prolific writer with over 10 years of experience in online writing. She enjoys creating quotes and poems.

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Unlike science in middle school, high school biology is a hands-on endeavor. Experiments are a standard part of biology courses, whether they are part of a controlled laboratory class, science fair, or individual student projects. Explore a few fascinating high school biology experiments; and discover ideas for simple and easy biology experiments to incorporate into your curriculum.

Examples of Biology Experiments for High School

Whether you are looking for a science fair project or need to create a project for a class assignment, there are numerous biology projects for teens.

• Planting Spring Bulbs: An Easy-to-Follow Guide for Beginners
• 7 Senior Bio Examples to Help You Craft Your Own

Frog Dissection

Dissecting a frog is a quintessential part of high school biology. If possible, try to get both female and male specimens for your class so students can see the eggs and compare the insides to the male frog.

Flower Dissection

High schoolers can get a bit squirmy about frog dissection. Have a flower dissection instead. The teens can find and label the female and male parts of the flower. It can be fun for high schoolers to check out flower intricacies under a microscope.

Diversity Among Plant Samples

Another simple biology experiment involves going into your natural environment, such as a local park, to observe diversity among plant samples. To make the experiment more detailed, students can rub collected samples on filter paper to observe which plants present which colors . Teens can work to find out why certain plants present certain colors.

Phototropism

It can be enlightening to show kids how phototropism affects plants. They can set up an experiment by using different materials to affect light. They can see how affecting the light affects the growth of the plant.

Water From Common Sources

Water is everywhere. Unfortunately, water contains numerous elements too. A great experiment is collecting water samples from various sources and viewing them under a microscope. Students can then compare their results and attempt to postulate why a given water source would present more organisms than another would.

Yeast Experiment

Another experiment involves taking a piece of bread to monitor the molds that grow over a period of two weeks.

Taste Perception

Everyone has their own taste. Literally! Some people like sour things while others like sweet. Find out if everyone perceives taste the same way and has the same threshold for taste by doing an in-class experiment.

Disinfectant Effectiveness

Ever wonder how effective hand sanitizer is at killing bacteria? Test it! Grow bacteria in a Petri dish along with paper soaked in peroxide, white vinegar, rubbing alcohol, etc. Find out how each one of them works to inhibit bacteria growth.

Pea Plant Genetics

Students can recreate Mendel's genetic pea plant experiments . By growing pea plants and comparing their phenotypes, students can determine each parent plant's genotype.

Examining Fingerprints

Fingerprints are pretty amazing features on the human body. Not only can you use them to open your phone, but each one is unique . Put your fingerprint on paper and examine the different aspects of the lines and arches on your fingers. Compare fingerprints among everyone in class.

Comparing Animal and Plant Cells

To better understand animal and plant cells, students can compare cells from their cheeks to cells from an onion. Just stain the cells with iodine or another dye to better see the cell structures under a microscope.

Creating a DNA model is a great way to help students understand the structure and function of DNA in genetics. Students can use candy, string, and toothpicks to develop a fairly realistic model of the double helix structure.

Water Bottle Germs

Many people refill their water bottles in high school. But do they add germs or bacteria to the bottle? Is refilling a disposable water bottle safe? Have students take swabs of the water bottles they use and look for bacteria around the lid or on the bottle.

Testing Hair

Teens use a lot of hair products. But do they truly work? Have teens in your class take a few samples of their hair. See what happens to the hair when common hair products are added.

Water Cycle

Understanding the water cycle isn't hard. But teens can look at it firsthand by creating a water cycle experiment. Just have them fill a baggie with water and tape it to a window. They will watch evaporation, condensation, and precipitation in action.

Closed Ecosystem Bottle

It can be hard for students to imagine something having its own ecosystem. However, you can use a plastic bottle to create a closed ecosystem.

Field Survey Biology Experiment

This experiment is great because it is cheap, easy, and you can do it in a variety of areas around your school or send students home with it. The goal is to observe the surrounding area over time and monitor the samples that you collect.

Materials You'll Need

For this experiment, you need to grab:

• Jar or baggies to collect samples
• Stakes and string or cones help mark an area
• Paper or journals for taking notes
• Slides, slide covers, and a microscope

Observation Instructions

Take note that you will observe your area for several months, so choose an area that is easy to re-mark or where you can leave the markings up, so you return to the same designated area each time.

• Have students choose one spot to observe. The spot should be no more than two to three feet square.
• Do you see evidence of animals? (Look for prints, scat or guano, fur, owl pellets, etc.)
• What plant life do you see? (Look for moss, lichen, weeds, and other plants).
• What fungus do you see? (Look for mushrooms and other fungal growth).
• What insects do you see? (Encourage students to look specifically for relationships here - such as connecting mosquitos with water or bees with flowers or a hive).

Sampling and Classroom Instructions

Bring the research back into the classroom by following these instructions.

• Guide students to make connections and note relationships in their marked area. Have them inventory the area and draw a crude map of where everything is.
• If possible, have students use tweezers and gently take samples of soil, fungus, moss, plant life, insects, etc.
• pH value of soil or water
• Microorganisms in water
• Plant cells under a microscope
• Comparative structure of flowers you find
• Require students to record everything in their own journal or interactive notebook.

Teacher tip: Set up stations in the classroom for viewing, dissecting, drawing, testing pH, etc. This will allow students some choice in how they proceed with examining their specimens.

Testing for Bacteria

Have students see where the most bacteria are lurking. This experiment is great if you want a lab that has guaranteed results. There is always some kind of bacteria lurking somewhere, just waiting to grow in a student's Petri dish.

These are the materials you are going to need to have on hand.

• Prepared Petri dishes, three per student
• Sterile swabs
• Painter's tape
• Scotch tape
• Permanent Marker
• Graph paper

Material notes : You can also purchase sterile Petri dishes and agar separately; however, it is much more likely students will contaminate the plate before they swab.

Preparing Your Petri Dishes

Prepping your Petri dishes is an essential part of the experiment.

• Before opening any materials, have students identify three places (but in one physical location such as at home or at school) that they are going to swab for bacteria. Encourage them to hypothesize about which place they think will grow the most bacteria.
• Using the Petri dish, trace three circles on the graph paper and cut it out.
• In pencil, draw a line to denote the 'top' of the circle. It doesn't matter where you draw the line, but you will need something to show you how your Petri dish is oriented so you can be sure you're tracking the same colony each time you observe.
• On the back of the graph paper circle, note the location where you will take the swab, as well as the date you are taking the swabs. Do this for all three Petri dishes you have.

Collecting Samples

Have students bring their unopened sterile swabs and closed Petri dishes to the site. Carefully, they should:

• Set the Petri dish down on a flat surface.
• Unwrap the swab.
• Swipe the swab across the area they suspect has bacteria.
• Lift the lid, gently wipe the used swab across the agar, and close the lid, carefully but quickly.

Hint: Sometimes, it's helpful to tape the Petri dish shut so that the Petri dish doesn't accidentally lose its lid.

Evaluating Results

Now that you've swabbed the areas, it's all about the results.

• Have students draw Petri-dish-sized circles in their lab books or on separate graph paper. Draw one week's worth of Petri dishes for each dish the student has.
• As the colonies start to grow, have students draw the size in their notebooks, making daily observations. If they cannot observe daily, have them observe on the same day(s) over a month.
• They should also be recording the color and other notable features of their bacteria colonies in their lab books.
• At the end, the students should write a conclusion of their study.

The Effect of Light on Growth

In this lab, students investigate how light affects plant growth. Students may use any plants, but cress will grow more quickly, so your students can get results faster.

Gather up your materials.

• Styrofoam cup or bowl
• Potting soil

Instructions

With your materials at the ready, it's time to start your experiment.

• On Day 1 - plant seeds in the soil in the cups.
• Label the cups according to the light you're going to use. You can compare sunlight vs. complete darkness, or you can compare several types of light.
• On each day after the initial day, take a picture of each cup and try to measure the growth, if any.
• For your lab entries, measure the sprouts, and note color and shape characteristics.

Planaria Regeneration

In this lab, students watch the rate at which planaria regenerates and test whether how you cut the planaria makes a difference as to how they grow back.

To conduct this experiment, you want to grab.

• 9 planarias
• 3 small plastic Petri dishes
• 1 large plastic Petri dish
• 1 plastic pipet
• 1 magnifying glass
• 1 plastic coverslip
• Spring water
• Paper towels
• Ice pack(optional)

Setup Instructions

Getting the setup right is half the battle when it comes to creating fun and interesting biology experiments for high schoolers.

• Start by numbering the three small Petri dishes to ensure nothing gets confused later.
• Using the pipet, move a planarian into the large Petri dish.
• At this point, you may want to try to set the Petri dish on an ice pack for a few minutes. This isn't totally necessary, but it will slow the planarian down to make it easier to cut.
• Right behind the head
• Right in the middle
• Right towards the tail
• Use the pipet to gently transfer each segment to a new Petri dish (with spring water).
• Repeat the steps with all remaining worm segments.
• Every day, observe the planaria. Regeneration will be considered 'complete' when the photoreceptors (the black dots that look like eyes on the planarian's head) appear.

Scientific Method and High School Biology Experiments

Much of high school biology is focused on instilling the elements of science in students. The scientific method is one of these main focuses. The method prompts participants in science to be investigators and to come up with a guess about what will happen in a given experiment, called a hypothesis. The point of the experiment is then to either prove the hypothesis correct through the experiment or prove it incorrect. This prompts teens to get involved in the scientific method while teaching other scientific skills, such as:

• The ability to make a rational estimate based on present factors and knowledge
• Close detail and monitoring skills
• The possibility of being wrong and how to move past that if it turns out to be the case
• Quick thinking skills

As much fun as biology experiments can be, there is an educational component spearheading the experiment.

Fun and Interesting High School Biology Experiments

For teens, high school biology can be fun. Finding the right experiment can help biology pop off the page and become more than just another required course of study. Who knows? Perhaps your student will even be prompted to enter a science fair or a career rooted in science?

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Top 10 Biology Experiments You Don't Want to Miss

January 14, 2019 4 min read biology experiments science activities

A few years back we shared a series about how to teach the different areas of science at home, which you can find here:

• Teaching Biology at Home
• Teaching Earth Science at Home
• Teaching Astronomy at Home
• Teaching Chemistry at Home
• Teaching Physics at Home

The posts in the series have remained some of our most popular posts and so we thought we would help you all out by sharing our favorite experiments for each discipline!

We are going to start this series out with biology - here's how you can teach biology at home .

And without further ado, here are our top 10 biology experiments!

Top 10 Biology Experiments

1. Dissect a Flower  

Many of the typical spring blooms, such as lilies, tulips, and daffodils, have clearly seen elements, which makes them excellent specimens for your students to study the structure of a flower.

One of the best ways to do this is through a flower dissection! These step-by-step directions for a flower dissection will help you examine the structure of a flower.

2. Raise a Butterfly

Butterflies go through an amazing life-cycle. A butterfly lays an egg, from which a caterpillar emerges. Then, the caterpillar eats and grows, eventually forming a chrysalis. And several weeks later a butterfly emerges!

There is nothing like watching this process in action! And these instructions on how to grow a butterfly will help you observe this life cycle in action.

3. Extract DNA 

DNA is the stuff that tells our cells what to do and how to look. It resides in the nucleus of a cell, so as you can imagine it is quite tiny. In fact, you normally need a very powerful microscope to see DNA for yourself.

That is unless you extract it and force it to join up together into one giant mass of DNA. And that is exactly what you do with this Banana DNA Extraction experiment .

4. Make a Seed Board 

Plants start their lives out as seeds and there is a huge variety of seeds, just like there is a huge variety of plants.  

These four steps for making a seed board will help your students appreciate the differences and similarities between seeds.

5. Dissect an Owl Pellet 

This one often grosses people out, but dissecting an owl pellet is a great way to learn about bones and animal diet.

Don't worry, owl pellets are not from the backside of an owl. Owls swallow their prey whole, so a few hours after the meal, they will regurgitate the indigestible parts in the form of a pellet.

These four steps for dissecting an owl pellet will help you get the most of this fascinating but slightly suspect dissection.

6. Look at Fingerprints

Our body is covered with an amazing organ know as skin. It's the largest organ of the integumentary system. The  skin on our fingers, toes, palms of your hands, and soles of your feet is folded into tiny ridges. These ridges form swirling patterns, that help our hands and feet grip things.

These directions for examining your fingerprints will help your students understand just how amazing our skin is!

7. Grow an Herb Cutting

Roots are the structure of a plant that anchors into the ground and helps the provide the plant with the nutrients it needs to grow.

These directions for growing an herb cutting will help your students see how roots grow and get a chance to examine roots up close without getting dirty! 

8. Make a Habitat Diorama 

Our planet is covered with different types of habitats. Habitats are the place that is normal for the life and growth of a certain animal or a plant. In other words, it's the area where an animal or plant resides.

These directions for how to make a habitat diorama will help your students learn about the different plants and animals in an area in a hands-on way.

9. Eat a Cell Model

The cell is the basic unit of life, but it's so small that we can't see the cell's structure with our naked eyes. Enter the cell model.

You can make a jello cell, a cake cell, or a cell calzone to eat, but whatever cell you choose to snack on, these edible models will help your students visualize this basic building block of life.

10. Create a Fall Leaf  (or Signs of Spring)  Journal

When you study biology, it's a good idea to learn about the nature surrounding you. A  Fall Leaf journal  or a Signs of Spring journal will help your students learn about the trees and bushes that are in your area.

Wrapping it Up

There are loads more options for biology experiments out there that we love - in fact, we probably could have done a post with 100 experiments! But these are the ten we don't want you to miss.  If you want more biology experiments, check out our Biology Pinterest board .

If you want it all pulled together for you, check out the following our homeschool science programs with easy-to-use plans for teaching biology:

• For Preschool – Intro to Science  and  Summer's Lab
• For Elementary Students –  Biology for the Grammar Stage ,   Biology Lapbooks , The Sassafras Science Adventures ( Zoology ,   Anatomy , and   Botany )
• For Middle School Students –   Biology for the Logic Stage
• High School Students –   Biology for High School

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These biology experiments are designed for you to do at home or school using simple equipment. For some experiments, you may need a calculator. Here is a link to an excellent one provided by Web2.0calc .

To access experiments, click on one of the experiments listed below. In most cases, it is simplest to copy the experiment into a word processing program, and then print it out.

A Nervous Experiment

Do you think you need the same number of nerves in every part of your body? Where in your body might you need more nerves? See for yourself! Also in: Español

Air Pollution

The Phoenix metropolitan area, like many large cities, has problems with air pollution at certain times of the year. You can do a simple study to determine some of the factors that affect air pollution.

Farming ants might sound like a crazy thing to do unless you might like to eat chocolate covered ants. It turns out we can learn a lot from ants and the best way is to build your own ant farm. Also in: Español

Birds and Their Songs

We see them practically everywhere. They are found flying in the high mountains and soaring along the thermal winds in the low deserts. There are those that are reclusive and others you can watch from your own back yard. Also in: Español

Breaking Proteins

Catch and Sketch Plankton

Learn to focus on detail and make keen observations that could be overlooked in a picture in this lesson on scientific sketching.

Collecting Ants

There are several different ways to get ants for an ant farm, depending on when you would like to start the farm and how long you would like for your ant farm to last.

Microorganisms in action! Turn a pile of grass clippings into an experiment.

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Easy Biology Experiments for Kids

September 17, 2024 By Emma Vanstone Leave a Comment

Biology is the study of life and living things , including plants, animals and microorganisms. Biologists refer to living things as organisms. This collection of biology experiments for kids covers some of the most important concepts in biology

There are many different branches of biology, including:

Ecology – the relationships between organisms

Zoology – the study of animals

Taxonomy – classification of organisms

Anatomy – the structure of organisms

Botany – the study of plants

Microbiology – the study of tiny organisms

Physiology – functions of living organisms

Biology is a vast and exciting area of science covering everything from the smallest virus to evolution, ecosystems and the climate.

Top 10 Biology Experiments for Kids

1. candy dna model.

This candy DNA model is a great way to learn about the double helix structure of DNA and tastes great, too!

2. Colourful flowers – transpiration investigation

Place white flowers in a pot of food colouring and water to change their colour. This activity is a brilliant visual way to learn about transpiration and transport in plants .

3. Investigate the effect of increasing temperatures on transpiration

Use celery and food colouring to find out how increasing temperature affects the rate of transpiration in plants.

4. Osmosis and eggs

Learn about osmosis with an egg without a shell. The shell is removed by soaking the egg in vinegar. Place the egg in water and watch it grow in size as water moves into it.

This is a fantastic visual way to demonstrate osmosis that always makes a big impact.

5. Edible butterfly life cycle

Make an edible butterfly life cycle using fruit, vegetables, pasta or sweets.

6. What Did Dinosaurs Eat? – Dinosaur Poop Investigation

Discover what dinosaurs ate with a fun dinosaur poo investigation ! This is a wonderful activity for younger children who love searching through the playdough for clues to what dinosaurs ate.

7. How does exercise affect heart rate?

Find out how exercise affects heart rate with a simple investigation where children measure their heart rate before and after exercise.

8. What are teeth made from?

Use eggs to find out what teeth are made from and discover the food items that cause them to stain or decay.

9. Digestive system model

Model the digestive system with biscuits, orange juice and tights. This is a slightly gross activity that kids of all ages will love.

10. Make a model lung

Find out how lungs work with a DIY lung model made from a plastic bottle, straw and balloon.

That’s my personal top 10 biology experiments , but there’s plenty more! Learn about water, cells, plants, enzymes and surface tension with the activities below.

All about Water

All living things need water; luckily, the Earth has a lot of water! Water is made up of one oxygen atom and two hydrogen atoms. This edible model of a water molecule shows the structure.

The yellow sweets represent hydrogen, and the purple sweet represents oxygen. The formula for a water molecule is H 2 O .

Water is a polar molecule. It has a positive end and a negative end. The negative end of one water molecule is attracted to the positive end of another water molecule, resulting in a hydrogen bond between the two molecules. This attraction between water molecules means water has a high surface tension. There are lots of simple ways to demonstrate surface tension. An investigation using a bowl of water with pepper sprinkled over the top is good to start with.

Surface Tension Demonstration

You’ll need.

A bowl of water

Ground black pepper

Washing up liquid ( dish soap )

Instructions

Fill the bowl almost to the top with tap water.

Sprinkle black paper over the surface.

Place a drop of washing-up liquid in the centre of the water.

The pepper should move very quickly to the sides.

How does it work?

The washing-up liquid reduces the surface tension of the water, which allows the water particles at the surface to spread out, taking the pepper with them!

More surface tension demonstrations

Find out how many drops of water you can fit on a coin with Rookie Parenting.

Use surface tension to make lollysticks move in water.

Try the classic magic milk experiment . Adding dish soap makes food colouring in milk explode with colour!

Enzyme Demonstrations

Organisms use enzymes to speed up chemical reactions. Enzymes are biological catalysts. The easiest way to learn about enzymes is to use them! A microorganism called yeast is used in bread making as it contains enzymes that convert sugar and starch ( from the sugar and flour in the bread mix ) into carbon dioxide and ethanol. The carbon dioxide gas makes the dough rise. Giving bread the light, airy texture we all enjoy.

Enzymes only function in the right environment for them, which is different for different enzymes. Yeast needs warm, moist conditions, which is why bread dough is left somewhere warm to rise before baking.

Learn about enzymes with pizza or bread dough

You can learn about the enzymes in yeast by making pizza or bread dough ! If the dough is left somewhere cool, it won’t rise as much as dough left in a warm place, as the enzymes in the yeast won’t work as well.

Cell structure and function activities

All organisms are made up of one or more cells.

Bacteria and protozoa are examples of single-celled organisms.

A group of cells working together is called a tissue. Many tissues working together are an organ.

Cells contain organelles, which allow them to function.

Plant cell models

Making a cell model is a fun way to learn about cell structure.

Jelly/jello or a plate

Candy/sweets

Make your jello as per the instructions in a lightly greased container.

When the jello is set, gently tip it into the container in which you want to make the cell.

Add sweets to look like each organelle.

Use toothpicks and stickers as signs to label the cell model .

Another idea is to combine this activity with the pizza dough to learn about enzymes and create a pizza model of a cell!

Learn more about cells, organelles and the difference between animal and plant cells with my animal and plant cell revision cards.

Specialised cells

Find out about specialised cells with a 3D model of a neurone cell .

Photosynthesis Experiments

Photosynthesis is the process by which organisms ( mostly plants ) create energy. It occurs in organelles called chloroplasts .

Carbon dioxide + water  (and light ) ———> glucose and oxygen

The energy for the reaction comes from sunlight. Photosynthesis is an essential process for life on Earth. It creates oxygen and also helps to remove the carbon dioxide created by human activity.

Plants use the glucose made during photosynthesis for cellular respiration .

Photosynthesis demonstration

Science Buddies have a great photosynthesis investigation you can try.

Plant structure and function

Dissect a flower.

Dissecting a flower is a great way to learn about the different parts of a plant and their function.

Any flowers with large parts – lily, daffodil, tulip

Magnifying glass

Lay the flowers out on a table. Try to identify the different parts.

Label areas of the different parts of a flower on a sheet of white card or paper plate and match the dissected pieces to the correct label.

Another easy way to learn about plant structure and function is to make a 3D flower model .

Osmosis Experiments

Osmosis can be a tricky concept to get your head around as it is the movement of water molecules across a partially permeable membrane from a region of higher water concentration to a region of lower water concentration. This can be demonstrated using an egg!

You might be wondering how on Earth an egg with a shell can be used to demonstrate the movement of water, and you’re right to wonder. The first thing you have to do is remove the shell by soaking the egg in vinegar. The eggshell dissolves, leaving the semi-permeable membrane behind.

Containers big enough to hold an egg

Soak an egg in vinegar for 24 hours. Carefully remove the egg and rinse. You should be able to remove most of the shell. Leave it in vinegar for another 24 hours and then rinse again.

Place the egg in a cup or jar of water and leave for two hours. Water will move into the egg by osmosis as the concentration of water inside the egg is lower than outside. The egg will grow in size.

If the egg is placed in a concentrated sugar solution, water will move out of the egg into the sugar solution as the concentration of water inside the egg is greater than the sugar solution.

More Biology experiments and activities for kids

Find out why surface area to volume ratio is such an important concept in biology using sugar cubes.

Learn about Mitosis with paper plate models.

Extract your own DNA at home!

Demonstrate how diffusion works with squash or food colouring and water.

Make plasticine models of viruses to learn about their structure.

Learn about the structure of DNA with this candy model that shows the double helix structure of DNA.

Find out how trees disperse seeds with my selection of seed dispersal activities .

Model the digestive system with a pair of tights! This is an excellent way for children to really visualise how food passes through the human body.

Make a model of a pumping heart to discover why heart valves are so important.

Biology resources on the web

Learn.Genetics has lots of brilliant resources about genes, human health, neuroscience and ecology.

For younger children, check out Maddie Moate on YouTube . The channel covers topics from finding out how cinnamon grows to beekeeping, all explained in a fun and visual way.

Can you recommend any other biology experiments for kids for us to try?

Last Updated on September 17, 2024 by Emma Vanstone

Safety Notice

Science Sparks ( Wild Sparks Enterprises Ltd ) are not liable for the actions of activity of any person who uses the information in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources. Science Sparks assume no liability with regard to injuries or damage to property that may occur as a result of using the information and carrying out the practical activities contained in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources.

These activities are designed to be carried out by children working with a parent, guardian or other appropriate adult. The adult involved is fully responsible for ensuring that the activities are carried out safely.

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7 Fun Biology Experiments for High School

What better way to learn about life’s mysteries than through exciting and fun biology experiments? High school is the perfect time to delve deeper into the world of biology, and I’ve gathered seven fun and educational experiments that will ignite your students’ curiosity and make biology come alive. So, roll up your sleeves, put on your lab coat, and let’s dive into these fun biology experiments!

1. Barf Bag Lab

Topics: cellular respiration, alcoholic fermentation, cellular energy

Photosynthesis and cellular respiration are difficult concepts for students to grasp because they involve molecular interactions that can’t be seen. Bringing these reactions into an observable format is essential for students to comprehend them. Barf bags do just that.

Not only does the name “Barf Bag Lab” catch their attention, but the reaction itself is just gross enough to be quite memorable. Using yeast to demonstrate alcoholic fermentation, students crush sugary cereal to provide a source of glucose. As the bag expands, it may ultimately “barf” its contents onto the lab table. This lab is a great use of scientific processes because variables can be manipulated by changing the type of cereal used. Grab a free Barf Bag Lab Activity from my online store or see more cellular respiration lab experiments in this post .

2. Osmosis Egg Experiment

Topics: semipermeable cell membranes, osmosis, hypertonic, hypotonic, homeostasis

This classic lab provides another opportunity for students to observe the effects of cellular processes that would otherwise be difficult to see. Unlike the previous lab, however, this one involves a little bit of teacher prep work.

By soaking eggs in vinegar for a few days, the shells become soft and can be washed away with a little water. What remains is a semipermeable cell membrane that is easily observed. By deshelling a few eggs, the cell’s response to a variety of solute concentrations can be illustrated. If you’re interested in incorporating this classic experiment into your course, this egg osmosis lab has been vetted by hundreds of high school Biology teachers.

3. Cell Size Diffusion Lab

Topics: cell size, diffusion, cell membrane, surface area to volume ratio

This is a lab that I use as the first of lesson plan in my cell cycle unit , but it also makes a great diffusion lab. I prefer to do this experiment as a demonstration because it involves bleach and knives, which can be a safety hazard in a high school Biology classroom.

By cutting cubes of fresh beets into different sizes, students can practice calculating surface area and volume, which is a skill that helps them understand the necessity of a cell membrane for the diffusion of substances. Each beet cube is then soaked in bleach and students can observe the percentage of the cube’s volume that is reached by the bleach. The visual component of this lab is a great way for students to comprehend the need for efficient nutrient absorption and the reason for cell division.

4. Extracting DNA from Strawberries

Topics: cell structure, DNA, nucleus, cell membrane, histones

This is another classic lab, but one that just can’t be skipped! With a few household ingredients, students can extract long strings of DNA from the nuclei of strawberry cells and scoop it up with a toothpick or skewer. If you want, the DNA can even be preserved in alcohol as a biology souvenir!

At the beginning of my teaching career, I used the split pea extraction lab from Learn Genetics . It’s still a solid lab, but I’ve come to prefer using strawberries over other DNA sources for two reasons: 1) Strawberries are triploid, so the amount of DNA extracted from them is greater and 2) They are easy to smush. Split pea extraction requires a blender to break the cell walls. Since blenders aren’t readily available for every student, it necessitates a demonstration rather than a lab. Some teachers have found success with wheat germ as a DNA source, as well. You can watch a video demonstration of strawberry DNA extraction on my YouTube channel.

5. Natural Selection Lab

Topics: natural selection, mutation, genetic variation, fitness, antibiotic resistance

It’s tough to find labs for natural selection and evolution because these processes usually have to be simulated rather than observed. One of the most popular natural selection labs is the bird beak activity . Students use a variety of materials to simulate finch beaks and learn how beak adaptations cause different species to show niche separation.

Another one of my favorite evolution simulations is a natural selection lab using various household items to simulate antibiotics and bacteria. Antibiotic resistance is a great topic to incorporate into an evolution unit because it is highly relevant to students. Using a variety of pasta shapes to simulate different bacterial species, students use tools like toothpicks and clothespins to act as antibiotics “killing” the bacterial cells. Mutant bacterial cells aren’t able to be picked up by the tools, allowing these new species to flourish as antibiotic-resistant strains. Looking for more evolution labs? Check out my plant cladogram freebie in this post.

6. Candy Radiometric Dating Lab

Topics: fossils, carbon dating, radiometric dating, isotopes, half-life

Using candy is a go-to in my high school courses because it keeps students interested! There are other supplies that can be used for this radiometric dating lab activity, but candy is always well-received in my classes.

Students begin with a designated number of candies with letters on one side (like Skittles, M&Ms, etc) and they shake the candies in a box or bag to simulate radioactive decay. Candies that have flipped represent the daughter atoms. By repeating the shaking and counting of flipped candies, students can create a graph showing the radioactive decay of an isotope. This easily leads to a discussion of half-lives and the radiometric dating of fossils.

7. Greenhouse Effect Experiment

Topics: greenhouse gases, climate change, fossil fuels, carbon dioxide emissions

The greenhouse effect is easy enough to illustrate. Here’s a quick greenhouse effect simulation , if students aren’t familiar. They have likely also observed the greenhouse effect in their own car or a local greenhouse. The effects of carbon dioxide emissions on the greenhouse effect, however, is not something students readily observe. That’s why this simple lab is so clever. Students set up two plastic zipper bags with a cup of water and a thermometer in each bag. Antacid tablets are added to one cup, producing carbon dioxide within that bag. Students then monitor the difference in temperature over a 30-minute period to see how carbon dioxide intensifies the greenhouse effect. For full instructions on this lab including background reading, student instructions, data tables, and comprehension questions, grab this Greenhouse Effect Experiment .

These fun biology experiments will help your students grasp fundamental concepts and nurture their scientific curiosity. Pick one you haven’t tried, gather your lab equipment, and get going!

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Practical Biology

A collection of experiments that demonstrate biological concepts and processes.

Observing earthworm locomotion

• Practical Work for Learning

Published experiments

This website is for teachers of biology in schools and colleges. It is a collection of experiments that demonstrate a wide range of biological concepts and processes.

Experiments are placed within real-life contexts, and have links to carefully selected further reading. Each experiment also includes information and guidance for technicians.

Why use practical work in Biology?

Biology is a practical science. Practical activities are not just motivational and fun: they also enable students to apply and extend their knowledge and understanding of biology in novel investigative situations, which can aid learning and memory, and stimulate interest.

We have published a new set of resources to support the teaching of practical science for Key Stages 3-5. The resources are part of the Practical Work for Learning project , which explores how three different teaching and learning approaches can be applied to practical work. Visit the Practical Work for Learning website to find out more.

Help and support in using the experiments

Unfortunately, we are unable to respond to questions from teachers, technicians or students on how to use the experiments on this website.

• About Practical Biology
• Welcome to Practical Biology
• Standard techniques
• Animal behaviour
• Cells to systems
• Exchange of materials
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10 Easy DIY Biology Experiments You Can Do at Home

Table of Contents

Biology is interesting, but everyone gets access to modern-day state-of-the-art equipment for doing biology experiments. But it is possible to do some easy DIY experiments at home using the right kind of materials.

This list of DIY experiments does not include experiments related to genetic engineering as in many countries permission is not there to carry out experiments in uncertified places.

Benefits of DIY Biology Experiments for High School Students

For high school students, doing biology experiments at home is beneficial for both academic and personal growth.

Students develop the required laboratory skills and strengthen their knowledge of the science, right from the formation of a hypothesis to the analysis of data.

10 Easy DIY Biology Experiments That You Can Do at Home

Extraction of own dna.

It is possible to extract your DNA at home by making use of the daily kitchen supplies. It can be extracted from Saliva or you can make use of fruits like bananas, strawberries, etc.

The saliva consists of cells in your mouth that contain DNA. The detergent helps in breaking down the membranes which gives protection to the DNA and releases it into the recipient. The salt denatures the DNA and thus it precipitates out and the grapefruit juice helps in the neutralization of the proteins that can damage DNA.

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6 Easy Biology Science Experiments for Kids

Let’s dive into studying life and living organisms with a new set of biology experiments for kids! These are all easy and simple to do at home or in your classroom, and all of them are liquid or water-based, so you’ll likely have everything you need on hand to bring these science projects to life. We’ll be exploring osmosis, chromatography, homogenization, transpiration, capillary action, and evaporation.

Related: Check out our other science experiments for kids posts on physics and chemistry !

Gummy Bear Osmosis

“Solute” is a general term that refers to a molecule dissolved in a solution. In a salt water solution, for example, the salt molecules are the solutes. The more salt we put in the solution, the more we increase the concentration of solutes.

Water moves from an area with a lower concentration of solutes to an area with a higher solute concentration. This movement of water molecules is called “osmosis.” In order to examine the process of osmosis and observe how it works, we can look at what happens to gummy bears when they are left to soak in different solutions overnight.

Gummy Bear Osmosis Printable Instructions

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-------------------------------------------------------, what you’ll need:.

• Two container such as bowls, cups, or jars
• Measuring cup
• Gummy bears
• Add ½ cup of water to each of the two empty containers. Add 1 teaspoon of salt to one of the containers and stir well.
• Drop a gummy bear into each container and leave it 8 hours or overnight.
• Observe what happened to each gummy bear. Compare the gummy bears to each other, and also to a gummy bear that was not left to soak overnight.

What’s happening?

The concentration of solutes inside the gummy bear is higher than the concentration of solutes in plain water. As a result, in our experiment, the water flowed into the gummy bear causing it to swell, and that’s why the gummy bear grew overnight.

The same is true for the gummy bear placed in the salt water solution. However, the difference in solute concentration wasn’t as great, so less water flowed into the gummy bear. In other words, it took less water to balance out the solute concentration inside and outside the gummy bear. Thus, the gummy bear in the salt water solution grew less than the bear in the plain water solution.

You can experiment with different solute concentrations to see how it affects the outcome. What happens when you add twice as much salt to the overnight water bath? Is there any amount of salt that can be added to keep the gummy bear the same size?

Exploring Chromatography

Chromatography is a technique used to separate out the components of a mixture. The technique utilizes two phases – a mobile phase and a stationary phase. There are several types of chromatography, but in this experiment, we will be looking at paper chromatography.

In paper chromatography, the stationary phase is filter paper. The mobile phase is the liquid solvent that moves over the filter paper. For this experiment, we will use marker ink to examine how chromatography works.

Exploring Chromatography Printable Instructions

• Three clear containers such as drinking glasses or mason jars
• Coffee filters
• Rubbing alcohol
• Vegetable oil
• Water-soluble marker, any color
• Sharpie marker, any color
• Mark one container with an “A,” a second container with a “W,” and a third container with an “O.” Fill the bottom of the “A” container with rubbing alcohol, the “W” container with water, and the “O” container with vegetable oil. Make sure the liquid in each container comes up no more than ½ an inch from the bottom.
• Take three coffee filters out and measure out 1 inch from the bottom. Mark this spot by drawing a line with the pencil. Make one dot on this line using the water-soluble marker. Do the same with the Sharpie marker.
• Place one coffee filter in each container so that the bottom of the coffee filter is submerged in the solvent but the solvent DOES NOT touch the dots of marker ink. The solvent will travel up the coffee filter and past the dots. Watch what happens to the dots as the solvent moves over them.

Like dissolves like, so substances will interact with solvents that are similar to it. Water-soluble marker ink is polar, so it will interact with polar mobile phases such as water and alcohol. When a non-polar solvent such as vegetable oil moves over it, it will not interact, and therefore will not move.

Sharpie marker ink is “permanent” in the sense that it can’t be washed off with water. It isn’t water-soluble. When the rubbing alcohol moves over it, however, we see that the Sharpie ink interacts with it. This is because Sharpie ink contains alcohols in it. Following the principle of “like dissolves like,” it interacts with the rubbing alcohol.

Using Tie-Dyed Milk to Observe Homogenization

Molecules in a solution tend to aggregate with other molecules that are similarly charged. Fat molecules, for instance, will cluster together with other fat molecules. Milk is made up of different types of molecules, including fat, water, and protein. In order to keep these molecules from completely separating to form layers, milk undergoes a process called homogenization.

Even after undergoing homogenization, however, fat molecules floating free in solution will come together when milk is left sitting undisturbed. To visualize this process, and what happens when those molecules are dispersed, we can use food coloring and dish soap.

Using Tie-Dyed Milk to Observe Homogenization Printable Instructions

• Full fat milk
• 1 small bowl
• Cotton swabs
• Pour some milk into a small bowl. You don’t need a lot of milk for this, just enough to fill the bottom of your bowl. Allow the milk to settle so the surface of the milk is still before moving on to Step 2.
• Add a drop of food coloring to the surface of the milk.
• Dip a cotton swab in dish soap and touch the swab to the surface of the milk, directly adjacent to the drop of food coloring. What happens to the food coloring?

Have you ever tried to mix oil and water? The fat molecules in oil, just like the ones in milk, are “hydrophobic,” meaning they don’t like to be near charged molecules such as water, and will do whatever they can to keep away from them. To achieve this, they clump together. Because the fat molecules are less dense than water, the fat globules float up and form a layer above the water. In our experiment, we added food coloring to this layer of fat globules.

Dish soap is a detergent. Detergent molecules have a hydrophobic end and a hydrophilic end. Because of this, they are able to form a bridge between the fat molecules and the water molecules, causing the fat globules to break up and disperse. What we’re seeing when we add the dish soap is this dispersal of the fat clusters, carrying the food coloring with it and resulting in a beautiful tie-dyed pattern. The result is more dramatic if you add several drops of food coloring and include a variety of colors.

Making water travel through capillary action

Paper towels are designed to pick up spills quickly, absorbing lots of liquid with only a few sheets. But what is it about paper towels that makes them so absorbent? The answer is, in part, capillary action.

In this experiment, we’ll observe how capillary action works to make paper towels efficient. Using nothing but paper towels and the principles governing capillary action, we’ll make water travel from one container and into another.

Making Water Travel through Capillary Action Printable Instructions

• 3 containers (cups or jars)
• Paper towels
• Food coloring
• Line up the three containers. Fill the two containers on either end about ¾ full of water. Add several drops of food coloring to each of the jars. Whatever color you use is up to you, but the effect works best if the two colors combine to make a third color. (For instance – yellow and blue make green.)
• Fold a paper towel in 4 lengthwise. Place one end of the folded paper towel in one of the containers filled with colored water (make sure the end is immersed in the water) and let the other end hang into the empty container. Repeat using a second paper towel and the remaining filled container.
• Let the containers sit for four hours. Check them after 1 hour, 2 hours, and 4 hours. What do you see?

Paper towels are highly porous. These pores function like tiny tubes, or capillaries, to draw up water. Two properties allow this to happen. The first is adhesion. Water molecules are attracted to the walls of the capillaries and “stick” to them. This is enhanced in our experiment because paper towels are made of cellulose molecules that are highly attractive to water. The second property is cohesion. The water molecules like to stick to each other. Together, these two properties allow the water to “travel” along the paper towel against gravity, moving out of one container and dropping into the other.

Efficient paper towels are more porous than less efficient brands, giving them a higher degree of absorbency. Taking this into account, how do you think the progress observed at each time point would differ if you used low quality paper towels instead of highly absorbent ones? How would you expect the color in the middle jar to change if you use a less absorbent paper towel to make the blue water travel, and a more absorbent paper towel to make the yellow water travel?

Observing Xylem in Celery

All plants need water to survive. In order to move water up from the soil and into their shoots and leaves, plants have developed a system of water transport. This system is called “xylem.” We can observe the movement of water through xylem transport by placing stalks of celery in colored water. The colored water moves through the stalk and up into the leaves, making the path of the water through this system visible.

Observing Xylem in Celery Printable Instructions

• A container such as a jar or vase
• Add 1 cup of water to the empty container. Add 2 drops of food coloring to the water (or however many it takes to achieve the color desired) and stir well to mix.
• Choose a celery stalk that has leaves attached to the top. Cut about 1 inch off the bottom of the stalk.
• Place the stalk upright in the container, making sure the bottom of the stalk is immersed in the water.
• Leave the celery out over night. Observe what happens. Take the celery out of the water and cut it open to get a better look at the path the water took.

Plants use a system called xylem to pull water up from the ground and transport it up through the shoot into their leaves. This process is passive, meaning it doesn’t require any energy in order to occur. That’s why the celery was able to pull water up overnight. The celery pulled colored water through its stalk via the xylem transport system. The colored water traveled all the way into the leaves, staining them.

The xylem transport system can be seen more clearly when the celery is cut. The colored water stains the xylem cells, making them visible.

One phenomenon that drives the flow of water through a plant is transpiration. Transpiration is the name given to the process by which water evaporates from the leaves of a plant. What do you think would happen if we repeated the experiment using a celery stalk whose leaves had been cut off? Try it and see!

How to Make it Rain Indoors

One of the properties of water is that it can exist in different phases. It can exist as a liquid, which is the form we’re most familiar with, and it can also exist as a solid (ice), or gas (water vapor). In this experiment, we’ll take water through two of its phases – liquid and gas. We’ll observe how temperature causes water to move from one phase into another. This will allow us to get a better idea of what happens to water in nature, and the role temperature plays in the water cycle.

How to Make it Rain Indoors Printable Instructions

• Large container such as a jar
• A ceramic plate
• Heat approximately eight cups of water to just steaming. This can be done on the stovetop or the microwave, but a stovetop will give you more control over the heating process.
• Pour the water into the jar until it is completely full and allow the jar to sit for five minutes. This will heat the jar for the experiment. After five minutes, discard the water.
• Add enough heated water to fill the jar up approximately halfway. Cover the jar opening with the plate, making sure no steam can escape. Let the jar sit for 3 minutes. Observe what happens to the water in the jar. Note any changes you see.
• After 3 minutes have passed, place enough ice on top of the dinner plate to cover its surface. Watch what happens to the jar.

The water cycle is responsible for producing rain. Liquid water evaporates, sending water vapor into the atmosphere. When the water vapor reaches the cooler air in the upper atmosphere, it condenses back into water droplets, forming clouds. If too much water condenses, or if the temperature becomes colder, the condensed water will fall back down to earth in the form of rain.

In this experiment, we replicated these conditions to produce “rain.” First, we let the heated water form water vapor inside the jar. The water vapor filled the space between the water surface and the plate. We then added ice to our plate, initiating a quick temperature drop. The lower temperature caused the water vapor to condense. This was visible as water droplets that beaded and ran down the sides of the jar. This is how rain happens. We made it rain inside our jar!

You might also like this lesson plan: Learning About Glowing Animals – Bioluminescence or Biofluorescence?

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10 High School Science Lab Experiments - Biology

At its core, biology aims to answer fundamental questions about the nature of life, such as how organisms are composed, how they function and maintain homeostasis, how they grow and reproduce, how they evolve and adapt to their environment, and how they interact with one another and their surroundings. 

High school biologyteachers have so many in-person and virtual lab options for high school lab experiments. We’ve broken them down into five categories:

DNA Experiments

Microscopy experiments, osmosis & diffusion experiments, bacteria experiments , genetics experiments, in-person lab: extracting dna from strawberries.

This activity teaches students about the structure and function of DNA while also demonstrating how DNA can be isolated from cells. Students crush strawberries and use a lysis buffer to break down cell and nuclear membranes, releasing the DNA. The mixture is then filtered, and rubbing alcohol is added to precipitate the DNA, making it visible as a cloudy, stringy substance.

Virtual lab: DNA: Structure and Function

In the narrative of this virtual lab, students will work as an intern for a science magazine, Science Explained. One of the magazine’s readers has written a letter. They’re confused about DNA and have some questions about its structure and function. It’s their job to find out the answers and clear things up. They’ll get to learn how DNA is structured and how DNA’s code translates to functional molecules called proteins.

In-person experiment: Onion cell microscopy

This teaches students about cell structure and function using onion epidermal cells. Students prepare a wet mount slide with a thin layer of onion cells, stain them with iodine, and observe the cells under a microscope. It allows students to visualize plant cell components, such as the cell wall, cell membrane, and nucleus, while gaining experience with microscopy techniques.

Virtual lab: Meiosis, Mitosis and Plant Gametes 

Students will use microscopy to study samples of lily anthers while helping the team at the laboratory. They’ll study the process of cell division and discover the key differences between meiosis and mitosis. 

In-person lab: Diffusion and osmosis with eggs

Students use decalcified eggs (eggs soaked in vinegar to remove the shell) to study the processes of diffusion and osmosis. By immersing the eggs in various solutions, such as distilled water or corn syrup, students can observe changes in mass and size due to the movement of water across the semi-permeable membrane of the egg.

Virtual lab: Osmosis and Diffusion: Choose the right solution for an intravenous drip

In this virtual lab, students will help save Frank’s life by choosing the correct saline solution for an intravenous drip. He’s dehydrated because of sunstroke and needs extra fluids. They’ll join our virtual lab assistant in the lab to discover what a hypotonic, isotonic, and hypertonic solution is and how water is transported across the cell membrane in osmosis.

Photosynthesis Experiments

In-person lab: photosynthesis and respiration in plants.

Students use an aquatic plant, such as Elodea, and a dissolved oxygen probe or a simple inverted test tube setup to measure the rate of oxygen production during photosynthesis and consumption during cellular respiration. This experiment helps students understand the complementary processes of photosynthesis and cellular respiration in plants.

Virtual lab: Photosynthesis: Electron transport chain

To understand how photosynthesis works, students will shrink to a tiny size and go inside the plant cell of a leaf. Travel further inside the cell into the chloroplast, and then look at the thylakoid membrane. The process of photosynthesis takes place here. Observe the different components of the electron transport chain, from the start of the chain at photosystem II to the end of the chain at ATP synthase. 

In-person experiment: Bacterial growth and antibiotic resistance

Students culture bacteria (e.g., E. coli) on agar plates and test the effectiveness of different antibiotics. They observe zones of inhibition, where bacterial growth is prevented, and learn about antibiotic resistance and the importance of proper antibiotic use.

Virtual lab: Gram Stain: How stains and counterstains work

Dive into the microscopic world and discover the colorful magic of the Gram staining procedure! Students will compare and contrast the cell wall of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria by diving into their microscopic samples and observing how the cell wall structures retain certain reagents during the experiment. Discover how the four reagents of the Gram stain interact with structural components of the cell wall to color the bacteria.       

In-person experiment: Monohybrid Cross and Mendelian Genetics

Students observe the results of monohybrid crosses involving a single trait. Using Punnett squares, students predict offspring ratios and compare them with observed outcomes from live organisms, such as pea plants or fruit flies. This activity helps students understand inheritance, dominant and recessive alleles, and how traits are passed from one generation to the next.

Virtual lab: Mendelian Inheritance: From genes to traits

Did you know that more than 99% of your genes are identical to those found in any other human being on the planet? In this simulation, students will learn how Mendel's postulates can be applied to determine how characteristics are inherited by being passed from one generation to the next.

Are you excited by the idea of virtual labs? Check out our catalog of over 300 simulations and our free 30-day all-access educator’s pass. 

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72 Easy Science Experiments Using Materials You Already Have On Hand

Because science doesn’t have to be complicated.

If there is one thing that is guaranteed to get your students excited, it’s a good science experiment! While some experiments require expensive lab equipment or dangerous chemicals, there are plenty of cool projects you can do with regular household items. We’ve rounded up a big collection of easy science experiments that anybody can try, and kids are going to love them!

Easy Chemistry Science Experiments

Easy physics science experiments, easy biology and environmental science experiments, easy engineering experiments and stem challenges.

1. Taste the Rainbow

Teach your students about diffusion while creating a beautiful and tasty rainbow! Tip: Have extra Skittles on hand so your class can eat a few!

Learn more: Skittles Diffusion

2. Crystallize sweet treats

Crystal science experiments teach kids about supersaturated solutions. This one is easy to do at home, and the results are absolutely delicious!

Learn more: Candy Crystals

3. Make a volcano erupt

This classic experiment demonstrates a chemical reaction between baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and vinegar (acetic acid), which produces carbon dioxide gas, water, and sodium acetate.

Learn more: Best Volcano Experiments

4. Make elephant toothpaste

This fun project uses yeast and a hydrogen peroxide solution to create overflowing “elephant toothpaste.” Tip: Add an extra fun layer by having kids create toothpaste wrappers for plastic bottles.

5. Blow the biggest bubbles you can

Add a few simple ingredients to dish soap solution to create the largest bubbles you’ve ever seen! Kids learn about surface tension as they engineer these bubble-blowing wands.

Learn more: Giant Soap Bubbles

6. Demonstrate the “magic” leakproof bag

All you need is a zip-top plastic bag, sharp pencils, and water to blow your kids’ minds. Once they’re suitably impressed, teach them how the “trick” works by explaining the chemistry of polymers.

Learn more: Leakproof Bag

7. Use apple slices to learn about oxidation

Have students make predictions about what will happen to apple slices when immersed in different liquids, then put those predictions to the test. Have them record their observations.

Learn more: Apple Oxidation

8. Float a marker man

Their eyes will pop out of their heads when you “levitate” a stick figure right off the table! This experiment works due to the insolubility of dry-erase marker ink in water, combined with the lighter density of the ink.

Learn more: Floating Marker Man

9. Discover density with hot and cold water

There are a lot of easy science experiments you can do with density. This one is extremely simple, involving only hot and cold water and food coloring, but the visuals make it appealing and fun.

Learn more: Layered Water

10. Layer more liquids

This density demo is a little more complicated, but the effects are spectacular. Slowly layer liquids like honey, dish soap, water, and rubbing alcohol in a glass. Kids will be amazed when the liquids float one on top of the other like magic (except it is really science).

Learn more: Layered Liquids

11. Grow a carbon sugar snake

Easy science experiments can still have impressive results! This eye-popping chemical reaction demonstration only requires simple supplies like sugar, baking soda, and sand.

Learn more: Carbon Sugar Snake

12. Mix up some slime

Tell kids you’re going to make slime at home, and watch their eyes light up! There are a variety of ways to make slime, so try a few different recipes to find the one you like best.

13. Make homemade bouncy balls

These homemade bouncy balls are easy to make since all you need is glue, food coloring, borax powder, cornstarch, and warm water. You’ll want to store them inside a container like a plastic egg because they will flatten out over time.

Learn more: Make Your Own Bouncy Balls

14. Create eggshell chalk

Eggshells contain calcium, the same material that makes chalk. Grind them up and mix them with flour, water, and food coloring to make your very own sidewalk chalk.

Learn more: Eggshell Chalk

15. Make naked eggs

This is so cool! Use vinegar to dissolve the calcium carbonate in an eggshell to discover the membrane underneath that holds the egg together. Then, use the “naked” egg for another easy science experiment that demonstrates osmosis .

Learn more: Naked Egg Experiment

16. Turn milk into plastic

This sounds a lot more complicated than it is, but don’t be afraid to give it a try. Use simple kitchen supplies to create plastic polymers from plain old milk. Sculpt them into cool shapes when you’re done!

17. Test pH using cabbage

Teach kids about acids and bases without needing pH test strips! Simply boil some red cabbage and use the resulting water to test various substances—acids turn red and bases turn green.

Learn more: Cabbage pH

18. Clean some old coins

Use common household items to make old oxidized coins clean and shiny again in this simple chemistry experiment. Ask kids to predict (hypothesize) which will work best, then expand the learning by doing some research to explain the results.

Learn more: Cleaning Coins

19. Pull an egg into a bottle

This classic easy science experiment never fails to delight. Use the power of air pressure to suck a hard-boiled egg into a jar, no hands required.

Learn more: Egg in a Bottle

20. Blow up a balloon (without blowing)

Chances are good you probably did easy science experiments like this when you were in school. The baking soda and vinegar balloon experiment demonstrates the reactions between acids and bases when you fill a bottle with vinegar and a balloon with baking soda.

21 Assemble a DIY lava lamp

This 1970s trend is back—as an easy science experiment! This activity combines acid-base reactions with density for a totally groovy result.

22. Explore how sugary drinks affect teeth

The calcium content of eggshells makes them a great stand-in for teeth. Use eggs to explore how soda and juice can stain teeth and wear down the enamel. Expand your learning by trying different toothpaste-and-toothbrush combinations to see how effective they are.

Learn more: Sugar and Teeth Experiment

23. Mummify a hot dog

If your kids are fascinated by the Egyptians, they’ll love learning to mummify a hot dog! No need for canopic jars , just grab some baking soda and get started.

24. Extinguish flames with carbon dioxide

This is a fiery twist on acid-base experiments. Light a candle and talk about what fire needs in order to survive. Then, create an acid-base reaction and “pour” the carbon dioxide to extinguish the flame. The CO2 gas acts like a liquid, suffocating the fire.

25. Send secret messages with invisible ink

Turn your kids into secret agents! Write messages with a paintbrush dipped in lemon juice, then hold the paper over a heat source and watch the invisible become visible as oxidation goes to work.

Learn more: Invisible Ink

26. Create dancing popcorn

This is a fun version of the classic baking soda and vinegar experiment, perfect for the younger crowd. The bubbly mixture causes popcorn to dance around in the water.

27. Shoot a soda geyser sky-high

You’ve always wondered if this really works, so it’s time to find out for yourself! Kids will marvel at the chemical reaction that sends diet soda shooting high in the air when Mentos are added.

Learn more: Soda Explosion

28. Send a teabag flying

Hot air rises, and this experiment can prove it! You’ll want to supervise kids with fire, of course. For more safety, try this one outside.

Learn more: Flying Tea Bags

29. Create magic milk

This fun and easy science experiment demonstrates principles related to surface tension, molecular interactions, and fluid dynamics.

Learn more: Magic Milk Experiment

30. Watch the water rise

Learn about Charles’s Law with this simple experiment. As the candle burns, using up oxygen and heating the air in the glass, the water rises as if by magic.

Learn more: Rising Water

31. Learn about capillary action

Kids will be amazed as they watch the colored water move from glass to glass, and you’ll love the easy and inexpensive setup. Gather some water, paper towels, and food coloring to teach the scientific magic of capillary action.

Learn more: Capillary Action

32. Give a balloon a beard

Equally educational and fun, this experiment will teach kids about static electricity using everyday materials. Kids will undoubtedly get a kick out of creating beards on their balloon person!

Learn more: Static Electricity

33. Find your way with a DIY compass

Here’s an old classic that never fails to impress. Magnetize a needle, float it on the water’s surface, and it will always point north.

Learn more: DIY Compass

34. Crush a can using air pressure

Sure, it’s easy to crush a soda can with your bare hands, but what if you could do it without touching it at all? That’s the power of air pressure!

35. Tell time using the sun

While people use clocks or even phones to tell time today, there was a time when a sundial was the best means to do that. Kids will certainly get a kick out of creating their own sundials using everyday materials like cardboard and pencils.

Learn more: Make Your Own Sundial

36. Launch a balloon rocket

Grab balloons, string, straws, and tape, and launch rockets to learn about the laws of motion.

37. Make sparks with steel wool

All you need is steel wool and a 9-volt battery to perform this science demo that’s bound to make their eyes light up! Kids learn about chain reactions, chemical changes, and more.

Learn more: Steel Wool Electricity

38. Levitate a Ping-Pong ball

Kids will get a kick out of this experiment, which is really all about Bernoulli’s principle. You only need plastic bottles, bendy straws, and Ping-Pong balls to make the science magic happen.

39. Whip up a tornado in a bottle

There are plenty of versions of this classic experiment out there, but we love this one because it sparkles! Kids learn about a vortex and what it takes to create one.

Learn more: Tornado in a Bottle

40. Monitor air pressure with a DIY barometer

This simple but effective DIY science project teaches kids about air pressure and meteorology. They’ll have fun tracking and predicting the weather with their very own barometer.

Learn more: DIY Barometer

41. Peer through an ice magnifying glass

Students will certainly get a thrill out of seeing how an everyday object like a piece of ice can be used as a magnifying glass. Be sure to use purified or distilled water since tap water will have impurities in it that will cause distortion.

Learn more: Ice Magnifying Glass

42. String up some sticky ice

Can you lift an ice cube using just a piece of string? This quick experiment teaches you how. Use a little salt to melt the ice and then refreeze the ice with the string attached.

Learn more: Sticky Ice

43. “Flip” a drawing with water

Light refraction causes some really cool effects, and there are multiple easy science experiments you can do with it. This one uses refraction to “flip” a drawing; you can also try the famous “disappearing penny” trick .

Learn more: Light Refraction With Water

44. Color some flowers

We love how simple this project is to re-create since all you’ll need are some white carnations, food coloring, glasses, and water. The end result is just so beautiful!

45. Use glitter to fight germs

Everyone knows that glitter is just like germs—it gets everywhere and is so hard to get rid of! Use that to your advantage and show kids how soap fights glitter and germs.

Learn more: Glitter Germs

46. Re-create the water cycle in a bag

You can do so many easy science experiments with a simple zip-top bag. Fill one partway with water and set it on a sunny windowsill to see how the water evaporates up and eventually “rains” down.

Learn more: Water Cycle

47. Learn about plant transpiration

Your backyard is a terrific place for easy science experiments. Grab a plastic bag and rubber band to learn how plants get rid of excess water they don’t need, a process known as transpiration.

Learn more: Plant Transpiration

48. Clean up an oil spill

Before conducting this experiment, teach your students about engineers who solve environmental problems like oil spills. Then, have your students use provided materials to clean the oil spill from their oceans.

Learn more: Oil Spill

49. Construct a pair of model lungs

Kids get a better understanding of the respiratory system when they build model lungs using a plastic water bottle and some balloons. You can modify the experiment to demonstrate the effects of smoking too.

Learn more: Model Lungs

50. Experiment with limestone rocks

Kids  love to collect rocks, and there are plenty of easy science experiments you can do with them. In this one, pour vinegar over a rock to see if it bubbles. If it does, you’ve found limestone!

Learn more: Limestone Experiments

51. Turn a bottle into a rain gauge

All you need is a plastic bottle, a ruler, and a permanent marker to make your own rain gauge. Monitor your measurements and see how they stack up against meteorology reports in your area.

Learn more: DIY Rain Gauge

52. Build up towel mountains

This clever demonstration helps kids understand how some landforms are created. Use layers of towels to represent rock layers and boxes for continents. Then pu-u-u-sh and see what happens!

Learn more: Towel Mountains

53. Take a play dough core sample

Learn about the layers of the earth by building them out of Play-Doh, then take a core sample with a straw. ( Love Play-Doh? Get more learning ideas here. )

Learn more: Play Dough Core Sampling

54. Project the stars on your ceiling

Use the video lesson in the link below to learn why stars are only visible at night. Then create a DIY star projector to explore the concept hands-on.

Learn more: DIY Star Projector

55. Make it rain

Use shaving cream and food coloring to simulate clouds and rain. This is an easy science experiment little ones will beg to do over and over.

Learn more: Shaving Cream Rain

56. Blow up your fingerprint

This is such a cool (and easy!) way to look at fingerprint patterns. Inflate a balloon a bit, use some ink to put a fingerprint on it, then blow it up big to see your fingerprint in detail.

57. Snack on a DNA model

Twizzlers, gumdrops, and a few toothpicks are all you need to make this super-fun (and yummy!) DNA model.

Learn more: Edible DNA Model

58. Dissect a flower

Take a nature walk and find a flower or two. Then bring them home and take them apart to discover all the different parts of flowers.

59. Craft smartphone speakers

No Bluetooth speaker? No problem! Put together your own from paper cups and toilet paper tubes.

Learn more: Smartphone Speakers

60. Race a balloon-powered car

Kids will be amazed when they learn they can put together this awesome racer using cardboard and bottle-cap wheels. The balloon-powered “engine” is so much fun too.

Learn more: Balloon-Powered Car

61. Build a Ferris wheel

You’ve probably ridden on a Ferris wheel, but can you build one? Stock up on wood craft sticks and find out! Play around with different designs to see which one works best.

Learn more: Craft Stick Ferris Wheel

62. Design a phone stand

There are lots of ways to craft a DIY phone stand, which makes this a perfect creative-thinking STEM challenge.

63. Conduct an egg drop

Put all their engineering skills to the test with an egg drop! Challenge kids to build a container from stuff they find around the house that will protect an egg from a long fall (this is especially fun to do from upper-story windows).

Learn more: Egg Drop Challenge Ideas

64. Engineer a drinking-straw roller coaster

STEM challenges are always a hit with kids. We love this one, which only requires basic supplies like drinking straws.

Learn more: Straw Roller Coaster

65. Build a solar oven

Explore the power of the sun when you build your own solar ovens and use them to cook some yummy treats. This experiment takes a little more time and effort, but the results are always impressive. The link below has complete instructions.

Learn more: Solar Oven

66. Build a Da Vinci bridge

There are plenty of bridge-building experiments out there, but this one is unique. It’s inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s 500-year-old self-supporting wooden bridge. Learn how to build it at the link, and expand your learning by exploring more about Da Vinci himself.

Learn more: Da Vinci Bridge

67. Step through an index card

This is one easy science experiment that never fails to astonish. With carefully placed scissor cuts on an index card, you can make a loop large enough to fit a (small) human body through! Kids will be wowed as they learn about surface area.

68. Stand on a pile of paper cups

Combine physics and engineering and challenge kids to create a paper cup structure that can support their weight. This is a cool project for aspiring architects.

Learn more: Paper Cup Stack

69. Test out parachutes

Gather a variety of materials (try tissues, handkerchiefs, plastic bags, etc.) and see which ones make the best parachutes. You can also find out how they’re affected by windy days or find out which ones work in the rain.

Learn more: Parachute Drop

70. Recycle newspapers into an engineering challenge

It’s amazing how a stack of newspapers can spark such creative engineering. Challenge kids to build a tower, support a book, or even build a chair using only newspaper and tape!

Learn more: Newspaper STEM Challenge

71. Use rubber bands to sound out acoustics

Explore the ways that sound waves are affected by what’s around them using a simple rubber band “guitar.” (Kids absolutely love playing with these!)

Learn more: Rubber Band Guitar

72. Assemble a better umbrella

Challenge students to engineer the best possible umbrella from various household supplies. Encourage them to plan, draw blueprints, and test their creations using the scientific method.

Learn more: Umbrella STEM Challenge

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16 Red-Hot Volcano Science Experiments and Kits For Classrooms or Science Fairs

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Science Fun

Science Experiments for Kids:

Science experiments you can do at home!  Explore an ever growing list of hundreds of fun and easy science experiments. Have fun trying these experiments at home or use them for science fair project ideas. Explore experiments by category, newest experiments, most popular experiments, easy at home experiments, or simply scroll down this page for tons of awesome experiment ideas!

Making A Volcano:

Acids and Bases Can Erupt in Your Faces

Orange Fizz:

Awesome Experiments:

New Experiments:

Check Out Our Newest Experiments

Top Experiments:

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Storm In A Glass:

Home Made Play Dough:

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Rainbow in a Glass:

Sizzlin’ Snowballs:

Jello Lenses:

Ice Fishing:

Super Cool Soda:

Jack-O-Cano:

Dancing Hearts:

Marbled Gift Wrap:

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Surface Tension Art:

Fizzy Fruit:

Rotting Pumpkin:

Explode A Bag:

Invisible Extinguisher:

Paper Hovercrafts:

Fun Fossil Stamps:

Cool Crystals:

Balloon Pop! Not!

Solar Eclipse Kit:

Moldy Apples:

Cool Off Volcanoes:

Vinegar Pops:

Make It Rain:

Black Light Blue Beverage:

Changing of the Leaves:

Snowflakes:

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Mind of a Student:

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Olympic Medals:

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Blossoming Beans:

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Plant Growth Experiment

Ever wonder what makes plants grow the best? Try this fantastic plant growth experiment , where you explore how light, water, and temperature affect plant growth. Follow along to see which conditions will help your plants thrive the most!

Fun and Easy Plant Experiment for Students

Plants need certain things to survive and grow: light, water, and the right temperature. Explore how light, water, and temperature changes impact plant growth. This fun activity also teaches important biology concepts like photosynthesis and plant adaptation, along with applying scientific methods .

💡Explore our Biology Projects , including osmosis , capillary action , and plant cells .

Recommended Grade Level: 4-6th Grade

📝 A printable journal page is included to track your plant’s progress and add to a science notebook!

Here’s what you need to get started:

• 6 small potted plants (all the same type)
• Potting soil
• Ruler (for measuring plant height)
• Watering can
• Thermometer
• Grow lights or access to sunlight
• Labels for each plant
• Printable observation journal (included below)
• Camera (optional for photo observations)

How to Set Up: Hands-on Plant Growth Activity

Step 1: Set Up Your Experiment Divide your six plants into three groups of two and label each plant with a number. Each group will test different conditions: light, water, or temperature.

• Group 1: Light Experiment : Place one plant in a sunny spot and the other in a dark room.
• Group 2: Water Experiment : Water one plant daily and the other once a week.
• Group 3: Temperature Experiment : Put one plant in a warm spot (room temperature) and the other in a cooler place.

Step 2: Make Observations Measure each plant’s height every two days with a ruler and record your findings. Pay attention to the color, size, and health of the leaves. Write these observations in your journal.

Step 3: Create a Growth Chart Using the printable observation sheet below, chart each plant’s growth, including the plant’s height, the number of leaves, and any visible signs of health or stress. Compare how the plants in each condition grow over time.

Step 4: Analyze the Results After two to three weeks, review your data. Which plants grew the most? Which conditions seemed to help the plants grow best? Encourage students to reflect on how light, water, and temperature affected plant health.

Applying the Scientific Method

The scientific method helps students explore how light, water, and temperature affect plants. Here’s an example:

• Ask a Question : How does light, water, or temperature affect plant growth?
• Research : Learn about plant needs, like photosynthesis and proper hydration.
• Hypothesis : Make a prediction. Example: “If a plant gets more sunlight, it will grow taller.”
• Experiment : Follow the steps, changing only one variable (light, water, or temperature) while keeping the rest constant.
• Record Data : Track plant height and health in the journal every few days.
• Analyze : Look at the results. Did the plants with more sunlight grow more? Did temperature affect growth?
• Conclusion : Was the hypothesis correct? What did you learn?

💡Learn more about the scientific method [here] .

Free Printable Plant Growth Observation Chart

The Science Behind Plant Growth:

Light is crucial for photosynthesis , the process by which plants make food. In this experiment, you’ll see that plants in full sunlight grow better than those kept in darkness. This is because, without light, the plant can’t perform photosynthesis, leading to slower growth and poor health.

Water is necessary for transporting nutrients throughout the plant. When a plant doesn’t get enough water, it may wilt or not grow as quickly. By comparing a plant watered daily to one watered weekly, you’ll notice the differences in growth and vitality.

Temperature:

Plants also grow best within a certain temperature range. Warmer temperatures can speed up a plant’s metabolism and growth, while cooler temperatures may slow it down. This experiment allows you to observe how plants in warm versus cool environments develop over time.

The Role of Photosynthesis:

Plants use light, water, and carbon dioxide to make food essential for growth. In the light experiment , plants kept in the dark won’t be able to photosynthesize effectively, so their growth will be slower or stunted. The experiment shows how important sunlight is for plant health and survival.

💡Learn more about photosynthesis and grab a free project!

Printable Plant Growth Observation Chart:

Use this printable chart to track your plant growth during the experiment. It helps organize your observations and makes comparing each plant’s progress easy.

This chart includes spaces to record the condition (light, water, temperature), plant height on specific days, and color and leaf health notes. At the end of the experiment, students will have a complete record of their observations to analyze.

Related Activities:

More plant science activities.

💡Investigate our complete collection of Plant Science Activities [here].

• Plant Cell Collage
• How Do Leaves Drink
• How Do Plants Breathe?
• Why Do Leaves Change Color?
• Seed Germination
• Flower Dissection Lab

Printable Plant Project Pack

Explore 20+ Plant Activities for Kids! 🌱 Looking for fun and educational plant-themed activities? This comprehensive Plant Activity Pack is perfect for early elementary school grades, providing hands-on learning experiences that fit any skill level! Whether it’s for fall or spring science lessons, these activities are ideal for classroom and at-home learning.

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Experiment Definition in Science – What Is a Science Experiment?

In science, an experiment is simply a test of a hypothesis in the scientific method . It is a controlled examination of cause and effect. Here is a look at what a science experiment is (and is not), the key factors in an experiment, examples, and types of experiments.

Experiment Definition in Science

By definition, an experiment is a procedure that tests a hypothesis. A hypothesis, in turn, is a prediction of cause and effect or the predicted outcome of changing one factor of a situation. Both the hypothesis and experiment are components of the scientific method. The steps of the scientific method are:

• Make observations.
• Ask a question or identify a problem.
• State a hypothesis.
• Perform an experiment that tests the hypothesis.
• Based on the results of the experiment, either accept or reject the hypothesis.
• Draw conclusions and report the outcome of the experiment.

Key Parts of an Experiment

The two key parts of an experiment are the independent and dependent variables. The independent variable is the one factor that you control or change in an experiment. The dependent variable is the factor that you measure that responds to the independent variable. An experiment often includes other types of variables , but at its heart, it’s all about the relationship between the independent and dependent variable.

Examples of Experiments

Fertilizer and plant size.

For example, you think a certain fertilizer helps plants grow better. You’ve watched your plants grow and they seem to do better when they have the fertilizer compared to when they don’t. But, observations are only the beginning of science. So, you state a hypothesis: Adding fertilizer increases plant size. Note, you could have stated the hypothesis in different ways. Maybe you think the fertilizer increases plant mass or fruit production, for example. However you state the hypothesis, it includes both the independent and dependent variables. In this case, the independent variable is the presence or absence of fertilizer. The dependent variable is the response to the independent variable, which is the size of the plants.

Now that you have a hypothesis, the next step is designing an experiment that tests it. Experimental design is very important because the way you conduct an experiment influences its outcome. For example, if you use too small of an amount of fertilizer you may see no effect from the treatment. Or, if you dump an entire container of fertilizer on a plant you could kill it! So, recording the steps of the experiment help you judge the outcome of the experiment and aid others who come after you and examine your work. Other factors that might influence your results might include the species of plant and duration of the treatment. Record any conditions that might affect the outcome. Ideally, you want the only difference between your two groups of plants to be whether or not they receive fertilizer. Then, measure the height of the plants and see if there is a difference between the two groups.

Salt and Cookies

You don’t need a lab for an experiment. For example, consider a baking experiment. Let’s say you like the flavor of salt in your cookies, but you’re pretty sure the batch you made using extra salt fell a bit flat. If you double the amount of salt in a recipe, will it affect their size? Here, the independent variable is the amount of salt in the recipe and the dependent variable is cookie size.

Test this hypothesis with an experiment. Bake cookies using the normal recipe (your control group ) and bake some using twice the salt (the experimental group). Make sure it’s the exact same recipe. Bake the cookies at the same temperature and for the same time. Only change the amount of salt in the recipe. Then measure the height or diameter of the cookies and decide whether to accept or reject the hypothesis.

Examples of Things That Are Not Experiments

Based on the examples of experiments, you should see what is not an experiment:

• Making observations does not constitute an experiment. Initial observations often lead to an experiment, but are not a substitute for one.
• Making a model is not an experiment.
• Neither is making a poster.
• Just trying something to see what happens is not an experiment. You need a hypothesis or prediction about the outcome.
• Changing a lot of things at once isn’t an experiment. You only have one independent and one dependent variable. However, in an experiment, you might suspect the independent variable has an effect on a separate. So, you design a new experiment to test this.

Types of Experiments

There are three main types of experiments: controlled experiments, natural experiments, and field experiments,

• Controlled experiment : A controlled experiment compares two groups of samples that differ only in independent variable. For example, a drug trial compares the effect of a group taking a placebo (control group) against those getting the drug (the treatment group). Experiments in a lab or home generally are controlled experiments
• Natural experiment : Another name for a natural experiment is a quasi-experiment. In this type of experiment, the researcher does not directly control the independent variable, plus there may be other variables at play. Here, the goal is establishing a correlation between the independent and dependent variable. For example, in the formation of new elements a scientist hypothesizes that a certain collision between particles creates a new atom. But, other outcomes may be possible. Or, perhaps only decay products are observed that indicate the element, and not the new atom itself. Many fields of science rely on natural experiments, since controlled experiments aren’t always possible.
• Field experiment : While a controlled experiments takes place in a lab or other controlled setting, a field experiment occurs in a natural setting. Some phenomena cannot be readily studied in a lab or else the setting exerts an influence that affects the results. So, a field experiment may have higher validity. However, since the setting is not controlled, it is also subject to external factors and potential contamination. For example, if you study whether a certain plumage color affects bird mate selection, a field experiment in a natural environment eliminates the stressors of an artificial environment. Yet, other factors that could be controlled in a lab may influence results. For example, nutrition and health are controlled in a lab, but not in the field.
• Bailey, R.A. (2008). Design of Comparative Experiments . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521683579.
• di Francia, G. Toraldo (1981). The Investigation of the Physical World . Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-29925-X.
• Hinkelmann, Klaus; Kempthorne, Oscar (2008). Design and Analysis of Experiments. Volume I: Introduction to Experimental Design (2nd ed.). Wiley. ISBN 978-0-471-72756-9.
• Holland, Paul W. (December 1986). “Statistics and Causal Inference”.  Journal of the American Statistical Association . 81 (396): 945–960. doi: 10.2307/2289064
• Stohr-Hunt, Patricia (1996). “An Analysis of Frequency of Hands-on Experience and Science Achievement”. Journal of Research in Science Teaching . 33 (1): 101–109. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1098-2736(199601)33:1<101::AID-TEA6>3.0.CO;2-Z

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The science of color, newton’s rainbow.

In the 1660s, English physicist and mathematician Isaac Newton began a series of experiments with sunlight and prisms. He demonstrated that clear white light was composed of seven visible colors.

By scientifically establishing our visible spectrum (the colors we see in a rainbow), Newton laid the path for others to experiment with color in a scientific manner. His work led to breakthroughs in optics, physics, chemistry, perception, and the study of color in nature.

Aristotle developed the first known theory of color, suggesting that all colors came from white and black (lightness and darkness) and related them to the four elements – water, air, earth, and fire. Aristotle’s beliefs on color were widely held for over 2000 years until being replaced by those of Newton.

Opticks , one of the great works in the history of science, documents Newton’s discoveries from his experiments passing light through a prism. He identified the ROYGBIV colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet) that make up the visible spectrum. The visible spectrum is the narrow portion within the electromagnetic spectrum that can be seen by the human eye. Other forms of electromagnetic radiation, waves of energy, that we cannot see include radio, gamma and microwaves. The cells in our eyes called cones are sensitive to the wavelengths found in the visible spectrum. They allow us to see the all the colors of the rainbow.

…if the Sun’s Light consisted of but one sort of Rays, there would be but one Colour in the whole World… –Sir Isaac Newton, Opticks

Goethe challenged Newton’s views on color, arguing that color was not simply a scientific measurement, but a subjective experience perceived differently by each viewer. His contribution was the first systematic study on the physiological effects of color. Goethe’s views were widely adopted by artists. Although Goethe is best known for his poetry and prose, he considered Theory of Colors his most important work.

Colour are light’s suffering and joy. –Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

This very rare book formed the foundation for modern color printing. Le Blon was the first to outline a three-color printing method using primary colors (red, yellow, blue) to create secondary colors (green, purple, orange). He makes an important distinction between “material colors,” as used by painters, and colored light, which was the focus of Newton’s color theories. Le Blon’s distinction marks the first documentation of what is now referred to as additive and subtractive color systems. Rainbows, TVs, computer screens and mobile devices all emit light and are examples of an additive color system (the subject of Newton’s Opticks). Red, green and blue are the primary additive colors and when combined they produce transparent white light. Books, paintings, grass and cars are examples of a subtractive color system which is based on the chemical makeup of an object and its reflection of light as a color. Subtractive primary colors - blue, red, and yellow – are often taught to us as children, and when mixed together they create black.

…I arriv’d at the skill of reducing the Harmony of Colouring in painting to Mechanical Practice… –J.C. Le Blon, Coloritto

These colorful line diagrams reveal the chemical compositions of metals. When a pure metal is burned and viewed through a spectroscope, each element gives off unique spectra, a sort of color fingerprint. This method, called spectral analysis, led to the discovery of new elements, and marked the first steps towards quantum theory.

Can you see the numbers in the circles? 4.5 percent of the population cannot see the entire visible spectrum, a condition called color vision deficiency, or color blindness. Ishihara plates are used to test patients for the various types of color blindness.

Can you find the animal hiding in this image? Camouflage uses color to conceal forms by creating optical illusions. American artist Abbott Thayer introduced the concept of  disruptive patterning , in which an animal’s uneven markings can disguise its outline. In this illustration Thayer shows how a peacock can disappear into its surroundings.

Thayer, an American artist, devoted much of his life to understanding how animals conceal themselves in nature for survival. In his book, Concealing Coloration in the Animal Kingdom, Thayer presented his beliefs of protective coloration as an essential factor in evolution helping animals disguise themselves from predators. He received much praise and criticism. He was extreme in his views arguing that all animal coloration was for protective purposes and failing to recognize other possible reasons such as sexual selection – characteristics for attracting a mate.  Teddy Roosevelt most notably attacked his theories by pointing out that this concealment doesn’t last all season, or even all day, but was dependent on a single frozen moment in times. Despite these shortcomings, Thayer went on to be the first to propose camouflage for military purposes.  Although his suggestions were initially rejected, his former students were among the founders of the American Camouflage Society in 1916 and his theories were eventually adopted and are still used today.

The colorful pattern on this German aircraft from World War I is called lozenge camouflage. Its disruptive pattern applied Abbott Thayer’s theories in an effort to inhibit enemy observation from the air and on the ground.

Science News by AGU

An Unprecedented Experiment to Map Kīlauea’s Summit Magma System

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Kīlauea volcano, on the island of Hawaiʻi, is fed by the Hawaiian hot spot, a plume of buoyant rock and magma that rises through Earth’s mantle and crust. As one of the most active volcanoes in the world, it has for centuries drawn scientific observers to the island, which became the site of one of the earliest volcano observatories.

Kīlauea has been probed, interpreted, and studied intensively , revealing much about the inner workings of basaltic volcanoes. Nevertheless, despite comprehensive research on nearly every aspect of this volcano, a clear picture of the size and configuration of Kīlauea’s magmatic plumbing system has proved elusive.

Past efforts to estimate or indirectly image the extent of Kīlauea’s magmatic system have yielded broad ranges of possibilities.

Past efforts to estimate or indirectly image the extent of Kīlauea’s magmatic system have yielded broad ranges of possibilities. The volume of the magma system from geodetic, seismic, geologic, and petrologic data has been estimated to be anywhere from 0.2 to 240 cubic kilometers [ Decker , 1987; Denlinger , 1997; Fiske and Kinoshita , 1969; Pietruszka et al. , 2015; Poland et al. , 2014]. Storage systems interpreted from diverse data have varied from a plexus of dikes and sills with little connectivity among them to several large, subterranean bodies with well-established connections. No dominant consensus emerged from these studies.

Then a catastrophic change occurred. In early May 2018, a huge dike propagated 20 kilometers eastward from the volcano’s active Puʻu ʻŌʻō vent on the East Rift Zone to Leilani Estates, followed soon by a magnitude 6.9 earthquake as the massive south flank of the volcano suddenly lurched seaward [ Neal et al. , 2019]. The dike and flank movement opened a continuous conduit from Leilani Estates to the summit, and from May to August this conduit drained 15 years of magma supply (1.5 cubic kilometers) from the East Rift Zone and summit magma storage systems.

This drainage was driven by a piston-like collapse of the caldera within Kīlauea’s summit region (Figures 1 and 2) [ Anderson et al. , 2019]. The resulting voluminous lava flows damaged major infrastructure and destroyed nearly 2,000 homes . Scientists’ ability to forecast the volume and duration of both the major summit collapse and accompanying eruptions was inhibited by the lack of a definitive understanding of Kīlauea’s subsurface structure and how it could operate.

The 2018 eruption was the most catastrophic event on Hawaiian volcanoes in the past 200 years and fundamentally changed our understanding of the volume of magma stored in Kīlauea’s summit region. The storage volume is much larger than previously accepted, but we are still in the dark as to exactly how this magma is distributed within the volcano. This distribution has implications for geologic hazards on the volcano.

In recent geologic history Kīlauea’s summit eruptions have mostly been effusive, or nonexplosive. This behavior stands in contrast to geologic evidence for the formation of Kaluapele (Kīlauea’s caldera) around 1500 CE, which was followed by about 3 centuries of explosive volcanism . Although additional eruptions since 2018 have shown that a more explosive future is highly unlikely for Kīlauea, flow and faulting hazards persist. Having accurate subsurface information about magma storage is crucial to improving our forecast capabilities and responses to volcanic events as the volcano evolves.

Following the 2018 eruption, Congress provided supplemental funding under the Disaster Relief Act of 2019 (see Acknowledgments) to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to replace the instruments and facilities of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) lost in the eruption and to support research to better understand Kīlauea and its hazards. USGS scientists (including three of the authors) proposed a passive imaging experiment to help provide key information and also joined with academic colleagues (the remaining authors) to obtain additional support from the National Science Foundation for active source seismic imaging.

The ensuing project—one of the largest and most ambitious ever conducted at the summit of an active volcano—required years of planning.

The ensuing project —one of the largest and most ambitious ever conducted at the summit of an active volcano—required years of planning and a strong partnership with the National Park Service (almost all of the survey area is within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park). Damage related to the 2018 summit collapse along with other technical and logistical hurdles associated with the exercise of deploying a massive amount of equipment and marshaling support from numerous participants from multiple institutions complicated this effort. Nonetheless, the deployment and data acquisition for the study were smoothly and successfully completed in April–June 2023. Ongoing analysis of the enormous trove of data acquired (almost 200 million waveforms) will provide the sharpest look yet into the core of this iconic volcano.

Thinking Big

Our plan for the array called for procuring nearly 2,000 self-contained seismic stations, or nodes, deploying them across the summit (Figure 3), and then retrieving them following the data collection. Each node included a three-component seismometer with an onboard power supply, data storage, and GPS locator. Networked together, the seismic imaging they provide is identical in concept to CT (computed tomography) scans that image the interior anatomy of the human body. However, instead of studying penetrating X-rays we used variations in penetrating seismic wavefronts to illuminate Kīlauea’s internal summit structure.

HVO had only a limited number of seismic nodes available, so we borrowed an additional 1,580 from the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) Consortium’s Portable Array Seismic Studies of the Continental Lithosphere (PASSCAL) Instrument Center to build the dense array needed for our survey.

This massive beast had to be shipped from Texas to Hawaii, stored at a special facility in the park, and then driven each day to predetermined locations to generate ground vibrations.

For active (controlled source) seismic surveying, we used a 34-ton triaxial vibroseis shaker truck called T-Rex that is managed by the Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI) at the University of Texas at Austin (UT-Austin). This massive beast had to be shipped from Texas to Hawaii, stored at a special facility in the park, and then driven each day to predetermined locations to generate ground vibrations using a roughly 6-square-meter baseplate mounted to its underbelly. These vibrations propagated through the volcano, providing the seismic signals necessary to image the interior.

Such an experiment, involving thousands of seismic nodes spread across an active volcanic summit like Kīlauea’s, not only is expensive but also requires a large, expert workforce as well as vehicle and helicopter support. Furthermore, because the PASSCAL nodes used can operate for only 30 days at a time, the entire surveying effort had to be completed in that short time frame. Redeployment for longer was not possible because we lacked accessible infrastructure for retrieving, recharging, and quickly downloading tens of terabytes of data from the nodes. Even with a single deployment, the process of deploying and retrieving the nodes, operating T-Rex, and coordinating helicopter flights, all within 30 days, required a well-orchestrated, collaborative effort among the team of USGS and academic scientists with collective experience in both passive and active seismic imaging.

In terms of scale and complexity, this project is the largest field experiment ever carried out on an active volcano, involving far more seismic nodes, a larger active source component, and tighter logistical constraints than earlier experiments such as a 2020 deployment at Yellowstone caldera or the 2014–2016 Imaging Magma Under St. Helens (iMUSH). Given its size and complexity, park officials were rightfully concerned about the potential physical impacts of our experiment on the region, which hosts multiple endangered species and which had already been rattled by more than 60,000 earthquakes during the 2018 collapse sequence that significantly damaged park roads and other infrastructure.

Team members thus worked closely with the National Park Service to develop a plan to minimize damage from our seismic surveying activities. For example, on the basis of results from preliminary ground-penetrating radar (GPR) surveys done for this project, which revealed features such as shallow underground cavities, we greatly reduced the number of locations where we had originally planned to use T-Rex to generate shaking. Specifically, we eliminated sampling sites on road sections near or over lava tubes, known faults, and natural or human-made voids to avoid causing further damage. With input from the Hawaii Department of Transportation, we also defined a threshold for excessive ground vibrations (2.5 centimeters per second) on their engineered roads. During the project, we deployed accelerometers at each sourcing site so that we could monitor the shaking and shut down immediately when this threshold was approached.

To reduce the impact on visitors to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, we also significantly reduced the amount of helicopter flight time we’d planned to reach remote sites inside the park. Instead, we made more use of existing four-wheel-drive-accessible roads in closed areas, and we enlisted additional people and vehicles to increase the number of survey sites located adjacent to both paved and unpaved roads.

As the project was underway, we kept the public informed about our progress with interpretive signs and we stationed scientists at key visitor sites in the summit area. Further, we coordinated with the park to hold on-site training for scientists involved in the fieldwork to ensure their awareness of the cultural sensitivities and endangered species in the park, and we timed the experiment so it would not interfere with the nesting season for nēnē, the Hawaiian state bird.

So Many Nodes, So Little Time

With permissions secured and our plan in place, ground crews deployed the nodes across the volcano’s summit. In addition to 1,580 PASSCAL nodes, we used two other kinds of nodes: eighty-three 0.2-hertz nodes from SmartSolo and one hundred fifty-two 2-hertz nodes from Geophysical Technology, Inc. (GTI). As the latter two types have longer-lasting batteries than the PASSCAL nodes, we set them up first. These nodes were first distributed in caches via helicopter in a single morning and then deployed to specific sites by a skeleton crew over about a week’s time.

Timing was critical to our strategy, and we had to coordinate road crews, off-road vehicle crews, and helicopter crews simultaneously to keep to the schedule.

Whereas this initial week of deployments was fairly relaxed, the next stage of setting up the PASSCAL nodes was decidedly unrelaxed. Timing was critical to our strategy, and we had to coordinate road crews, off-road vehicle crews, and helicopter crews simultaneously to keep to the schedule. Once these nodes arrived in Hawaii in a large sea container and were transported to the park, we had just 5 days budgeted to deploy them before we began surveying with T-Rex.

And there was another wrinkle. The PASSCAL nodes have removable spikes for anchoring them in the ground. Although we used most as is, we had requested that PASSCAL remove spikes from more than 100 nodes so we could deploy them in buckets of sand to be placed on hard surfaces (lava flows) that the spikes wouldn’t easily penetrate. Because of the weight and size of the bucketed sensors—roughly 12 kilograms apiece versus 3 kilograms for the typical spiked sensors—we couldn’t haul many of them at a time inside the helicopter. So we designed and tested a more efficient means to sling load the buckets to remote sites without them tipping, as well as a layout pattern facilitating deployment of these heavy sensors by field crews on foot.

We transported our assembled bucket nodes to a helicopter staging area, built the slings on site, and then transported them to where they would be deployed. In all other cases, multiple node caches could be transported inside the helicopter along with the person who would place the nodes at each cache site.

The node caches were distributed to nearly three dozen areas around Kīlauea’s summit. Although a group of four to six people (the size varied day to day) was able to cache and deploy the 235 SmartSolo and GTI nodes within about a week, more than two dozen people were needed full-time to distribute and activate the 1,580 PASSCAL nodes in the 5 days we allocated for this work before surveying could begin. Retrieval of the nodes was roughly the reverse of the deployment operation, with the addition of a crew stationed at the sea container to facilitate cleaning and repacking of the PASSCAL nodes for shipment back to the U.S. mainland.

Thanks to our team’s detailed planning and to superb logistical support from partners at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, USGS, and the University of Miami, all deployments and retrieval operations went smoothly and efficiently. All recovered nodes collected data for their full term. Only two nodes—each of which had been installed near lawns in residential areas—were lost. (One succumbed to a lawnmower shortly after being deployed.)

Traversing a Fractured, Faulted Summit

The 2018 caldera collapse that disrupted Kīlauea’s summit infrastructure created unique challenges for data acquisition.

The 2018 caldera collapse that disrupted Kīlauea’s summit infrastructure (Figure 2) created unique challenges for data acquisition. We could not drive T-Rex entirely around the summit, for example, because many roads that were destroyed had not been rebuilt. And although T-Rex is a multiply articulated off-road vehicle, we could not drive it across the Kaʻū Desert south of Kīlauea’s summit crater because it would damage sensitive ecosystems. Yet we knew from comprehensive advance testing that confining T-Rex to only the paved roads remaining after 2018 would leave gaping holes in our sampling of the subsurface magma system, complicating our ability to piece together images of this system from the seismic data we collected.

To help fill these gaps, we relied on ambient seismicity recorded by the node array (Figures 3 and 4). The sensors recorded more than 8,500 shallow earthquakes that occurred within 5 kilometers of the center of Kaluapele and more than 25,000 earthquakes outside the caldera. The detections of these earthquakes provide additional illumination, particularly from the south and west, that we needed to image the upper crustal structure of the summit. This seismicity mitigated the lack of complete surface coverage with the T-Rex controlled source.

Even when we could use T-Rex to produce active source seismicity (Figure 5), it was more difficult than expected. With the results of our preliminary GPR survey, we had located proposed sites where T-Rex would shake the ground or pavement, but in practice, many of these sites proved unusable.

Our initial foray with T-Rex was on unpaved roads over old pāhoehoe lava north of the park, in an area near the Volcano Winery just northwest of the town of Volcano. We presumed that solid coupling between T-Rex’s steel baseplate and the pāhoehoe, with its relatively smooth, ropy surface texture, would work well for inducing shaking. In addition, weather forecasts predicted daytime winds strong enough to jostle vegetation and vibrate the ground but nighttime winds that were docile. Consequently, we initially chose to run T-Rex in this area at night.

Both of these plans proved untenable. Though the pāhoehoe on the unpaved road surface appeared to be nearly flat, it was not flat enough to keep from unevenly loading T-Rex’s baseplate and punishing the truck’s hydraulic drive systems. And the wind never did die down. So we adjusted our plan and started operating T-Rex at dawn, keeping it on pavement to maintain uniform loading of both the road surface and T-Rex’s hydraulic and mechanical systems. Even so, we had to use care in operating the massive T-Rex machine on pavement. To avoid road damage, we coated T-Rex’s steel baseplate with rubber, monitored the ground response during use, and immediately stopped shaking and moved to the next source position if the peak ground velocity approached the 2.5 centimeter-per-second threshold.

We found that the ground-shaking response was far more variable than we had expected from our GPR survey. In particular, we found that resonances induced by the shaking and signal attenuation with distance from the T-Rex conspired to limit our ability to collect usable data at many locations. Because of the unpredictable ground responses, we were able to gather useful data at fewer than 400 sites out of the more than 700 we initially proposed.

For some locations where we could achieve good coupling, we observed first arrivals of compressional seismic waves ( P waves) from vertical shaking across the entire deployed network of nodes (Figures 3, 4, and 5). At many of those same sites, we saw that the velocities of compressional waves generated by T-Rex were persistently and astonishingly low in the first 100 meters of depth, possibly resulting from pervasive fractures and voids within the surface lava flows. This low near-surface P wave velocity proved to be the norm at most sites we surveyed, and we found that by using this information to modify the existing velocity structure beneath Kīlauea’s summit, we could determine earthquake locations more accurately.

Imaging Kīlauea’s Summit Structure Anew

Our imaging will have significant consequences for continued study of Kīlauea.

Our imaging will have significant consequences for continued study of Kīlauea. Previous seismic and gravity studies yielded a basic framework of the volcano’s magma system defined by seismicity and by accumulation of dense olivine in this system [ Denlinger and Flinders , 2022 , 2024 ; Flinders et al. , 2013; Lin et al. , 2014]. We used this earlier work and the results of numerous geodetic studies of eruptions to design this experiment, targeting areas in the upper 6 kilometers of the subsurface above a large, dense, high-velocity body (with the density and velocity of olivine) that underlies the summit and its caldera.

The 2018 summit collapse enlarged the caldera (as shown in Figure 2), portions of which subsided by as much as 500 meters [ Neal et al. , 2019], and permanently altered at least the upper 2 kilometers of the summit structure [ Shelly and Thelen , 2019]. Using local earthquakes and the active source T-Rex, we achieved unprecedented coverage from the 1,815 seismometers we packed into the summit area. Working with these data and the existing HVO seismic network, we have identified approximately 35,000 earthquakes that occurred within 30 kilometers of the center of Kaluapele during our experiment, giving us potentially 192 million waveforms to analyze across the network.

Within the next year, we anticipate using these seismic data to slice through the summit volume from the surface downward (Figure 6), much as in a medical CT scan, and use this information to create much sharper and more comprehensive tomographic pictures of the summit magma system. As of the publication of this article, we have sliced down to only an elevation of about 1 kilometer below sea level. These results provide unique information by illuminating the summit structure overlying the magma system. And as we continue to slice down and refine these data, these images will eventually reveal the transition to and the structure of the magma system itself.

The expected new view of the magmatic plumbing structure of Kīlauea will enhance scientific understanding of one of the world’s most active volcanoes: how it erupts, how and where it stores magma, and how it collapses at the summit while feeding voluminous lava flows erupting tens of kilometers away. Studying this structure will also ensure that we will more effectively inform emergency managers, policymakers, and the public about the hazards they face as we watch this volcanic system evolve.

Acknowledgments

This survey went smoothly and efficiently in large part because of the comradery and professionalism of staff members of HVO, the Alaska Volcano Observatory, the California Volcano Observatory, and the Cascades Volcano Observatory, all under the auspices of USGS’s Volcano Hazards Program. The teams quickly solved problems as they arose, coordinated well, and moved efficiently and intelligently over sometimes difficult, bushy, and/or deeply crevassed terrain. In addition to those working in the field, the remaining staff of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park went above and beyond to facilitate this operation, putting in additional radio links, providing maintenance space for T-Rex, granting access to closed areas, and helping us operate because the truck proved to be a big distraction for visitors to the park. These contributions from the observatories and the park were essential to our success, as was the knowledge and expertise of the NHERI engineers at UT-Austin, who helped us with T-Rex and kept it running during our survey. In particular, we acknowledge Steve Brantley (USGS emeritus) for leading permitting efforts and Lil DeSmither from the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, Rebecca Kramer and Ashton Flinders from USGS, and Elizabeth Vinarski from the University of Miami for logistical support related to the instrument deployments. In addition, we acknowledge support from the 2019 congressional supplement to the USGS (Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act, 2019 (H.R. 2157)) and National Science Foundation grants EAR-2218645 (University of Miami), EAR-2218646 (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute), and CMMI-2037900 (NHERI at UT-Austin) for use of T-Rex. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. government.

Anderson, K. R., et al. (2019), Magma reservoir failure and the onset of caldera collapse at Kīlauea Volcano in 2018, Science , 366 , https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaz1822 .

Decker, R. W. (1987), Dynamics of Hawaiian volcanoes: An overview, in Volcanism in Hawaii: Papers to Commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the Founding of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory , U.S. Geol. Surv. Prof. Pap. , 1350 , 997–1,018, pubs.usgs.gov/pp/1987/1350/chapters.html .

Denlinger, R. P. (1997), A dynamic balance between magma supply and eruption rate at Kilauea volcano, Hawaii, J. Geophys. Res. , 102 , 18,091–18,100, https://doi.org/10.1029/97JB01071 .

Denlinger, R. P., and A. Flinders (2022), Density structure of the island of Hawai‘i and the implications for gravity-driven motion of the south flank of Kīlauea volcano, Geophys. J. Int., 228 , 1,793–1,807, https://doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggab398 .

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Author Information

Roger Denlinger ( [email protected] ), U.S. Geological Survey, Vancouver, Wash.; Daniel R. H. O’Connell, U.S. Geological Survey, Evergreen, Colo.; Guoqing Lin, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Fla.; Steve Roecker, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, N.Y.; and Ninfa Bennington, U.S. Geological Survey, Hilo, Hawaii

Citation:  Denlinger, R., D. R. H. O’Connell, G. Lin, S. Roecker, and N. Bennington (2024), An unprecedented experiment to map Kīlauea’s summit magma system,  Eos, 105, https://doi.org/10.1029/2024EO240392 . Published on 18 September 2024.

Text not subject to copyright. except where otherwise noted, images are subject to copyright. any reuse without express permission from the copyright owner is prohibited., features from agu publications, lower shipping emissions may lead to higher global temperatures, forecasting caldera collapse using deep learning, an all-community push to “close the loops” on southern ocean dynamics.

Groundbreaking experiment may let us ‘see’ gravity for the first time ever

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Scientists have spent decades trying to understand how gravity operates at its most basic scale. However, no theory has come close to fully explaining it. Now, though, a new theory could finally give us the means to “see” gravity for the first time.

The latest theory is based heavily on an old concept first explained by Albert Einstein back in 1905. This concept, called the photoelectric effect, could very well help us detect gravity. Einstein theorized that light is composed of several tiny and indivisible packets that we call photons. He then used this to explain that the photoelectric effect can predict the energy exchanged between matter and light, but only in discrete amounts.

While Einstein’s theory originally saw resistance from the scientific community, it has since become a revolutionary part of our understanding of physics and the physical world. But what does this all have to do with being able to see gravity? Well, the researchers say that they used a system similar to the photoelectric effect. Instead of light, though, they used acoustic resonators and gravitational waves passing by Earth.

Because it isn’t exactly the same as the photoelectric effect, the researchers dubbed it the “gravito-phononic” effect. The idea is to take a cylinder made from a 4,000-pound aluminum bar and then cool it to its lowest quantum energy state. Once that happens, the researchers will let energetic gravitational waves pass through it. These should distort the cylinder slightly, stretching and squeezing it.

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Scientists have been looking for ways to better explain the universe for centuries now. If we can finally understand how gravity affects things at the basic level, then we’ll have a better understanding of its secrets. Scientists are also trying to find proof of dark matter in the way that planets move.

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CERN experiment unlocks new insights into the W boson

• Researchers at CERN have made a groundbreaking, ultra-precise measurement of the W boson, a critical particle in the Standard Model of physics.
• Using advanced techniques and data from the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) detector, they achieved unprecedented accuracy in determining its mass.
• The achievement confirms previous findings and pushes the boundaries of precision, opening new avenues for exploring the fundamental forces of nature.

Building new physics facilities tends to advance our understanding of the fundamental laws of nature. They create new capabilities and open unexplored horizons. But this is not the only way scientists can explore the unknown. Another is to make very precise measurements and compare them to calculations. Sometimes, a tiny difference points us in a new direction. Following this approach, researchers at the CERN laboratory have used the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) detector to make an unprecedentedly precise measurement of the mass of the W boson, one of the cornerstones of our modern theory of the behavior of matter. (Technical description here .)

At the subatomic level, three forces dominate the behavior of matter: electromagnetism and the strong and weak nuclear forces. The weak nuclear force is perhaps the most interesting. While weak, it is the one force that can change the identity of other fundamental subatomic particles. Early theories of the weak nuclear force were developed in the 1930s, however, it was in the 1960s and 1970s that a more modern version was developed. According to accepted theory, the weak nuclear force is transmitted by the exchange of two different subatomic particles, called the W and Z bosons. Both particles were discovered at the CERN laboratory in the early 1980s. They are both unstable and decay in a tiny fraction of a second. In order to determine their properties, scientists make precise measurements of their decay products and work backward. 

The Z boson is the easier particle to study. It decays into easily detectable and measurable particles, allowing scientists to characterize its properties precisely. From 1989 to 2000, scientists at the CERN laboratory operated the LEP accelerator and measured the mass of the Z boson with a precision of 0.002%. The LEP accelerator was a ring of magnets 27 kilometers (16.5 miles) in circumference and it accelerated electrons and antimatter electrons to near the speed of light. These particles were collided together and scientists used those collisions to do their studies.

The challenge of measuring the W boson

Studying the W boson is much more difficult. While the W boson decays in many different ways, a very common way is for it to decay into one particle that carries electric charge and another electrically neutral particle called a neutrino. While the properties of the electrically charged decay product is easy to measure, the neutrino does not interact in the detector. It escapes — its properties unknown.

Because scientists are unable to measure one of the W boson’s decay products, this makes determining the mass of the W boson vastly more difficult than the Z boson. Researchers using the LEP accelerator could only measure the mass of the W boson with a precision of 0.04%. A measurement made at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab), using the DZero detector , achieved a precision of 0.03%, while a competitor experiment at Fermilab called CDF r eported a precision of 0.01%. However, the CDF measurement disagrees substantially with all other measurements, which calls into question the reported precision.

In 2000, the LEP accelerator shut down so that it could be removed and replaced with a new accelerator called the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), which began operations in 2011. The LHC hosts several large experiments that have studied the W boson. In March of 2023, the ATLAS experiment measured the mass of the W boson with a precision of 0.02%; however, today’s measurement by the CMS experiment surpasses that precision and achieved 0.01%. Unlike the earlier discrepant CDF result, the CMS measurement agrees with prior measurements, which lends credence to the number. (Disclosure: The author is a member of both the DZero and CMS collaborations.)

A new era of precision

To measure the mass of the W boson with such precision is a monumental achievement, requiring that researchers invent new techniques. Previous measurements used Z boson to calibrate their detector. Given the ease by which the Z boson can be measured, this is a prudent approach. However, while the W and Z bosons are siblings, they are not twins; thus, this prudent approach is not without its own weaknesses.

To make such a precise measurement of the mass of the W boson, CMS researchers needed to combine data from a great number of different ways in which the W boson can decay. They also used new theoretical advances to improve their precision. In addition, the scientists used their enormous dataset to recalibrate the CMS detector, which reduced measurement uncertainties by a factor of ten. 

To give a better appreciation of the difficulty involved in this measurement, the CMS collaboration only used data recorded in 2016. It simply took the intervening eight years to achieve the necessary level of precision. It is equivalent to measuring the height of the Eiffel Tower with a precision of a single inch.

Precision measurements of predictions made by the prevailing theory is an excellent avenue for looking for new physics. This very precise measurement of the mass of the W boson signals the transition of the LHC to a new phase of studying the laws of nature. Rather than relying on raw power (the LHC generates collisions seven times higher than available before), the delicate detectors arrayed around the accelerator allow for far more sensitive measurements than was possible in the past.

The LHC expects to operate until 2040 and should generate thirty times more data than has been recorded so far.