Scientific Method Research Assignment

SAMPLE BIOLOGY ARTICLE: ]

PART 1

Find a current article that has BIOLOGY INFORMATION CONTENT. Read the article and answer the following questions using complete sentences. Be sure to provide a printed or xeroxed copy of the article with your responses.

  1. What is the problem being investigated in this article?
  2. Describe the experiment in your own words.
  3. Briefly provide the background information researches might have used in order to develop a testable hypothesis.
  4. What was the independent variable in the study/experiment (what is the factor that was different between the control and test group)?What was the dependent variable in the study/experiment (what did researchers measure a change in)?

PART 2

Complete the following table after answering questions #1-4.

Research StepApplication to this Problem

Observation / Amount of sugar consumption in US is increasing.
Defining the Problem / How does sugar consumption affect life expectancy?
Forming a hypothesis / The more sugar consumption the lower life expectancy.
Testing hypothesis / The researchers used a combination of fructose and glucose to sweeten the mice meals, to mimic high fructose corn syrup.
Experimental group-mice given 25% increased abnormal amount of sugar in diet.
Control group-mice given normal amount of sugar in diet.
Observing and recording results / Record death rate and reproductive rate for both groups.
Rodents let loose in rooms where they were monitored for 32 weeks.
Drawing conclusions / Most substances that are toxic to mice are also toxic to humans. “While many of the females had died by the end, the team noticed that the males eating the sugary diet weren’t able to control territory as well as their peers. Overall, they held 26 fewer territories, which may have led to the decline in reproduction.”
Reporting results / New standard set for lowering doses of added sugar. Families should eat less sugar to increase life expectancy and reproductive rates.