Peanuts, the Immune System, and Food Safety

In an age-appropriate remote learning activity developed by a researcher-teacher team, junior high school students learned about the link between human health and food safety. The students were introduced to basic concepts about the innate immune system and food safety through a learning activity that focused on peanut allergens in food products. The students (a) learned how to distinguish between the concepts of immunity and allergy; (b) learned about cross-contamination and the link between allergies and food safety; (c) learned what antibodies are and how they can be used for science; (d) applied basic knowledge about the immune system and food safety to screen for peanut residues in suspect non-peanut food products using a commercial test kit; and (e) applied basic knowledge about the immune system and food safety to create individual poster presentations on other types of allergies, such as soy or dairy allergies.

Determination of Total Phenolic and Flavonoid Content in Small Berries

The authors of this article applied the determination of phenolic and flavonoid content in small berries to create a didactic cycle based on student-centered active learning (SCAL) in which students actively participated in the topic while studying and profile-forming as future biology and chemistry teachers. The fundamental part of the proposed didactic cycle is that students solve the following task: Determine the phenolic and flavonoid content in berries (Vaccinium myrtillus L., Vaccinium vitis-idaea L., and Vaccinium corymbosum L.) in your region. The submitted interdisciplinary topic is relevant to everyday life, and it aroused interest and enthusiasm among students. The students had the opportunity to test their theoretical knowledge in practical experimental research, and they attempted to work as researchers.

Ethical Dimensions of Human Organoids Research

Over the past decade, the development of three-dimensional mammalian cell organization—called human organoids—from stem cells has provided a framework for future clinical therapies. As human organoid research progresses, we also need to keep in mind the cross-cultural and ethical dimensions of human organoids research. Our review article aims to examine the ethical dimensions of cerebral human organoids and provide an ethical framework guide within human organoids research.

Beads and ‘Biomes

The issue of antibiotic resistance among bacterial pathogens is often misunderstood. Here, we present an activity that debunks misconceptions regarding microorganisms, such as bacterial pathogens, and addresses how antibiotics work. We propose this activity be incorporated into middle or high school classrooms addressing both this real-world issue and elements from the Next Generation Science Standards. Students are encouraged to use hands-on experiences toward hypothesis development and testing to better understand how antibiotic resistance is spread among bacterial pathogens and commensals. Over half of the students who participated in this activity self-reported that they were likely to share the information they learned outside of their classroom, reflecting real-time impacts on science stewardship in students. This activity also presents students with an issue that has clear action items they can undertake to effect positive change.

A New Open-Source Web Application with Animations to Support Learning of Neuron-to-Neuron Signaling

Pesticides and their associated modes of action serve as real-world examples of chemical toxicity, stimulating student interest and supporting their understanding of nervous system function and cell signaling. An open-source web application called “Neuron-to-Neuron Normal and Toxic Actions” hosts narrated animations of pesticide toxic actions and exists as a resource for instructors of advanced secondary or undergraduate biology courses. This article describes the features of the web application, reports student feedback on the animations, and details a cooperative learning procedure for instructors to use the web application in online learning environments or in-person classroom settings with technology support.

Familiarize Your Students with Life at the Microscopic Scale

Developing students’ understanding of cells and the microscopic scale is an important goal of biology education. Cells are the building blocks of multicellular organisms, and most of Earth’s biodiversity is found at the microscopic scale. Developing an understanding of the microscopic scale requires that students use their quantitative reasoning skills. Here, resources are presented that help students develop their quantitative reasoning skills and improve their understanding of the small scale of microscopic life. The crosscutting concept, Scale, Proportion, and Quantity, and the science and engineering practice, Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking, are highlighted. The development of students’ quantitative reasoning skills in biology is universally recognized as an important outcome of biology education.

A Simple and Affordable Biofilm Assay for the Undergraduate Microbiology Classroom

Through experience and surveying undergraduate microbiology curriculum, we found that most schools discuss biofilms in lecture classes but not laboratory courses. Biofilms are a concern for both industry and the medical field and should be studied in student laboratories. To study this at an institution, there would need to be an affordable method to assay them. As a sample specimen, Pseudomonas aeruginosa was used as it proliferates into biofilms when it is starved for nutrients, which can be easily simulated in a laboratory environment. Known assays for studying biofilms are expensive, and most departments do not have the materials. In Trypticase Soy Broth (TSB), P. aeruginosa can also be induced to form a biofilm, but the technique is not seen very often because it has not been sufficiently standardized for undergraduate microbiology education laboratories. To account for the absence of specialized reagents, we incubated bacteria for longer periods of time as a means to diminish nutrients or starve the specimen. Using a two-tailed t-test, we were able to show that glass tubes inoculated with P. aeruginosa in TSB for 48 hours were forming distinct biofilms on the glass surface, which is appropriate for undergraduate microbiology laboratory studies.