Illinois Junior Academy of Science - Yearbook (Urbana, IL)

Page 90 text:

Lite in lnner Space RONALD KUCHARSKI l7l GARY NEMETH St. Symphorosa School Sponsor: Mrs. Marilyn Halpin in-I The purpose of this experiment was to see if man could live and work under the sea. A hamster was put inside a fish tank and put under the water and kept there for five days. During the five days records were taken. These charts correspond with each other very well. According to the research gathered and the results of the experiment, the conclusion drawn was that man Ksimilar to a hamsterl can live under the sea for a period of time with no physical harm. A Comparison ot Taste Threshold to Sugar Between Flies and People and a Similar Comparison Between People ot Ditterent Ages and Sex DEBBIE LARSEN Jefferson Jr. High School NAIHO - . THE. J .. or IE ' f'5-'fig so s eeer A - , ihi haie ' - nrh -dis 1 5 ' ' 'Y 'eeis ff sif a M.. A 5 . .holla thc. 1 . 1 ..,.u. ad ' -are uwwllly rid vm, i as Serrsihvz - j lgo the teal: O up . .. .pr .f rr it 'ri 1 frjafg gy, , .2 .Qrii'iuu.'-iw -M 'xiii-I all Flies have very sensitive taste receptors located in the small hairs on their legs and feet. These taste receptors are very sensitive to the taste of sugar. People have taste buds located on the tip, edges, and back of the tongue: Sugar was mixed with water in a series of concentra- tions ranging from .002 Molar to 1 Molar and an attempt was made to determine the threshold or point at which the flies and people could taste the sugar. Flies are the most sensitive tasters. The majority of the flies could taste the sugar at .002 Molar. The majority of the people tested could taste the sugar at .0625 Molar which is over a hundred fold more concentrated. One person could taste the sugar at .002 Molar and one person could not taste the sugar until the 1 Molar concentration was reached. In comparing people it was seen that females had a much sharper range than males. Most of the females tasted sugar at .0625 Molar which is the average for all people. The males on the other hand had a broader range with the ma- jority falling between .0325 and .125 Molar. The young people Cage 12-131 had a very similar taste range as the older people tested C age 25-401. Flies are attracted to sugar in nature and sugar makes up a large part of their diet so their sensitive ability to taste sugar is very important to their survival. The Ettect ot Dimethyl sultoxide on the Cardiac Cycle ot the Leopard Frog lR. pipiensl MARGARET LISOWSKI my SUSAN STEPHAN my Immaculate Heart of Mary High School Sponsor: Sister Rose Anthony, I. H. M. The purpose of this project was to see the effect of various concentrations of DMSO on the cardiac cycle of the frog when injected directly into the ventricle. The frog was anesthetized and a simple ventral dissection was performed to expose the ventricle of the heart Vice. DMSO was injected directly into the ventricle. The EKG was observed continuously for one hour, the graph was recorded every five minutes or when a noticeable change occurred in the graph. I found that DMSO stabilizes, stimulates, and depresses depending on the concentrations and means of administration used. 10W-stab. 2596-stim. 5O'k-depr. 55-60fk-lethal 55f1006k-def. lethal.

Page 89 text:

ment to test the respiratory rate and nervousness of a mouse. I also built a centrifuge to bring the mice up to any number' of 'G's and devised a system to take pictures of them while they were being subjected to this force. I took each mouse's heart rate, respiratory rate, and kymograph reading, tnervousnessl, before and after each test, that way each mouse was its own control. To figure out how many 'G's, I was running at, I used the following formula, 'G' I KRPM C 60 X 21 IRJ2 32 X R In my centrifuge I can produce up to 185 'G's, but none of the mice I tested were able to go over 20 'G's. Some could not go past 18 'G's. I found that the gravitational force greatly increases the heart rate, breath rate, and nervousness. I believe that this increase is due to the rapid decrease in 'G's. The body, working hard at more 'G's is suddenly brought into its normal range again, therefore, it speeds up rapidly. I also found that if I subjected a mouse to 3 'G's for 48 hours and slowly stopped him his rates were almost identical to when he went in. I can prove thy picturesl that they became comfortable , would build a nest, and could live as they would at one 'G'. Therefore I conclude that though rapid 'G' stresses do have a great effect, the mice can learn to live under the pressure of above normal gravitational forces. ,,. ,l -.,.. V-: FQ it THE EFFECTS OF HIGH G Probing the Mysteries ot Animal Intelligence DIANE JECKEL Animal intelligence is a baffling and everyday mystery. My project was a study of how fast, intelligent, and efficient hamsters and white mice can be when running through a maze. I started my project December 1, 1965. This gave me a chance to build and purchase my apparatus before I was ready to experiment. I set up my apparatus in our warm, moisture-free basement and conducted my tests there. I terminated my experimentation March 10. 1966. My experimentation included many things. First, I had to purchase the equipment that would serve the purpose of my project. I purchased my equipment in West Palm Beach, Florida. and Peoria, Illinois. My apparatus can be seen in my display. The maze was my main piece of apparatus. This formed all the stages which educated the animals. Comparing the hamsters and white mice, I learned that the hamsters could he educated much easier. The results of my project are pictured on my display. Metabolism and Body Temperature DONNA KUMIEGA gay LEONARD KRUZYSKI m Our Lady of Grace School Chicago, Illinois Sponsors: Mrs. Frances Fu. Miss Therese Donatello The purpose of the project was to study the relationship between metabolism and body temperature of different ani- mals under various factors. The materials needed to proceed were: 1. A temperature gradient chamber. 2. Three volumeters to measure the volume of oxygen consumption. 3. A quick reading thermometer to take the body temperature of the animals. 4. The animals used were mice, frogs, chickens and turtles. The results obtained were: 1. The metabolic rate of a homoiotherm increased with a decrease in the environmental temperature while the body temperature remained constant. 2. In poikilotherms the opposite is true, the metabolic rate decreased with a decreased environmental tem- perature and the body temperature decreased also. 3. Thyroid extract increased the metabolic rate of all animals tested. 4. Aspirin decreased both the metabolic rate and body temperature of all animals. Conclusions drawn were: 1. Homoiotherms possess a heat regulating mechanism in the brain, which aids in keeping a constant body temperature through increased or decreased meta- bolic activity. 2. Poikilotherms do not possess a heat regulating methanism, therefore the body temperature varies with the environmental temperature. 3. Thyroid extract contains thyroxin which is an en- docrine substance liberated by thyroid gland that regulates and controls the metabolism, therefore it increased the metabolic rate in all animals. 4. Aspirin lowers the body temperature which is a well known fact in pharmacology. It lowered the metabolic rate in this experiment presumably due to the lowered temperature in the protoplasm and it is not favorable to some enzymatic reactions.

Page 91 text:

DMSO has no permanent effects on the cardiac cycle the frog. The only conclusions which can be drawn from research are those already stated in the results. tThese concenltfations administered differently might produce res ts. av., Tm' -Q I up An M 1 fl flillii' STLICRES an - - ?3fg1.-.. are .fxNEaiHEf- water: fl'iAl'...EKG.... ML-EJL- I ll DME J F , ,L.JTliJN dh 'lEI?il '1lNE. fs Zin. 'VNU-l!,'V'. lllzli 'if:'4nl1i'- P' Z in -ur i PAM McCORMlCK i Wm. F. Gurrie Central Jr. High i i , HYDRA i ANATOMY THE EFFECT OF oiii ...ao ENYIRONMENTS l I 'Vi,,, ,K HYPRA I The purpose of my project was to investigate different environmental effects on hydra. By controlling light, tem- perature, and food, I was able to observe these effects on hydra. These were determined over a period of about five months. My conclusions are as follows: Healthy, well fed hydra iwill reproduce by budding after five or six days. Excess food in a small volume will cause hydra to die. Light is a lfundamental influence in the cycle of life. It is a natural consequence that hydra will go to the light to catch food, because it is most abundant there. When you have reduced oxygen in a tank, this alone does not stimulate formation of reproductive organs. Also low temperatures alone' will not form reproductive organs. When the environment of de- creased oxygen and low temperatures are present, male and female reproductive organs are produced. Hydra will survive in an aquarium. Sick hydra have short, stubby tentacles. Tem- peratures close to freezing will kill hydra. A temperature between 550 - 66 CFJ is adequate for living conditions. TERESA PONIECKI U Ol Madonna High School Chicago, lll. Sponsor: Sister Mary Alvernia In recent years the process of protein synthesis has become of great interest to scientists. If the entire process of protein synthesis can be completely understood, than we might make protein outside the living body. The most puz- zling aspect was decoding the nucleotide sequence of the transfer RNA's which have a major part in protein synthesis. At the present alanine transfer RNA has been decoded. My project dealt with this material. I grew dry yeast in a beef broth solution and fresh yeast in a sugar solution. Then, by the process of chromato- graphy, I tried to find traces of alanine transfer R N A. My results were up to my expectations. Now there is left the problem of decoding the nucleotide sequences of other amino acid transfer R N A's. Personality Change 'From Ions eEo'ReE sTuTz lap Stanley Field Jr. High Northbrook, lil. Because of the chemical change on a living animal's body from ions, personality control through ions is possible. This is due to the intensified form of oxygen and carbon dioxide formed in the air. It is formed by the electrostatic charge escaping from the needle into the air. When the needles in the mice cages become strongly charged, the charge escapes