Potato cells contain water along with dissolved minerals and salts that help it stay firm and healthy. When a potato is placed in different surrounding solutions, water moves in or out of its cells depending on how concentrated those solutions are. This movement of water reveals important information about the internal environment of the potato.

In this activity, you will estimate the approximate concentration of the solution inside a potato using the process of osmosis. By placing potato strips in solutions of different concentrations and measuring how their mass changes, we can determine the point at which there is no net movement of water. That concentration will be closest to the natural salt and mineral concentration within the potato cells.

Why are living things, whether they are gigantic whales or tiny insects, all made up of cells that are incredibly small? Cells are always small; a whale doesn't have bigger cells than an ant – it just has a lot more of them.

For a cell to survive, it must constantly absorb essential nutrients and move them inside and simultaneously get rid of waste. But as cells grow bigger, it becomes harder for materials to move in and out efficiently.

In this activity, you will build model “cells” out of corn starch to explore how the size of a cell affects how quickly substances can diffuse inside it.

Genome sequencing is like solving one of the most intricate puzzles in the world, a puzzle made not of cardboard but of DNA. Every living organism, from the tiniest bacterium to human beings, carries a unique instruction manual written in a four-letter code: A, T, G, and C. Sequencing this code helps scientists understand what makes each organism unique, how traits are inherited, and even how certain diseases develop.

In this activity, you will take on the role of a genetic scientist and simulate the sequencing process. Instead of real DNA, you will work with fragments from a paragraph taken from the Harry Potter series. Your task is to arrange these fragments in the correct order to reveal the prophecy hidden within.

DNA fingerprinting is a technique used to identify individuals based on unique patterns in their DNA. It is commonly used in forensic science, paternity testing, and genetic research. The process relies on cutting DNA at specific sites using restriction enzymes and separating the fragments by size using a process called gel electrophoresis.

In this activity, you will simulate the process of DNA fingerprinting using a printed DNA sequence and restriction enzymes. By following these steps, you will learn how DNA is cut, sorted, and analyzed to create a unique DNA fingerprint, just like scientists do in real-life forensics and genetics labs.

All living organisms are made up of cells. Inside nearly every cell is a special code that makes every organism unique. The code is called DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, which is the hereditary material that carries the instructions for life and allows cells and organisms to function. Most DNA is located in the cell nucleus (nuclear DNA), while a smaller amount can also be found in mitochondria (mitochondrial DNA or mtDNA).

In this activity using a few simple materials, and some easy steps, you will extract DNA from cells and see the long, stringy fibers that carry the instructions of life.