Investigate Health! | The Lab
Experiments change on a daily basis, offering a new experiment every time (or almost every time) you come to The Lab. You can also stop by for unscheduled visits and spend 5-10 minutes doing an experiment.
Most of the experiments are open-ended to allow you to adjust the length of your stay depending on how busy the Museum is and how much time you might have. Currently The Lab is open Tuesdays-Saturdays from 10:30-12:30 and 1:30-3:30.
The Lab experiments in current rotation are:
All About Me: Cells & Tissues
Our bodies are made up of many types of cells which have different jobs. Compare a blood cell to a bone cell, a muscle cell to a skin cell. Use our digital microscope to take a look at your own skin. See sweat glisten on your finger tips and find out why it is important to take good care of your body’s largest organ.
Counting Calories
What are Calories and are they bad for you? Use an electronic balance to determine how many M&M’s it takes to equal the amount of Calories in a small can of soda. Be a junior nutritionist and compare 100 Calories of popcorn to 100 Calories of raisins. What will you advise your patients to eat and drink for energy?
Diabetes and Blood Glucose
A medical mix-up has occurred and we need your help! We have three samples of blood, and it is your job to figure out whom they belong to. Test the blood glucose levels with a glucose monitoring device and learn about diabetes at the same time.
Extracting Iron from Cereal
General Mills helps us get the iron our bodies need by putting small pieces of metal in Total Cereal. Don’t believe us? Come to the Lab and extract it using magnets, water, and rolling pins!
How Does an Antacid Work? Do you believe the claims of stomach medicine commercials? Use a pH indicator to test antacid tablets, Milk of Magnesia, and baking soda to determine for yourself which of these is the fastest and most powerful.
Kool-Aid Chromatography
Food companies work hard to make sure that their food and drinks look appetizing enough to buy. Determine the dyes used in Kool-Aid by using a scientific technique called chromatography.
Monitoring Heart Rate
What happens to your heart when you exercise or when you start thinking about the math test that you have tomorrow? Hold a hand-grip heart monitor to find out and learn more about how the heart works.
Neuroscience: Sensory Illusions
Be a junior neuroscientist and use visual illusions to figure out how the human brain makes sense of what it perceives of the physical world. Watch the inside back of a mask pop out at you and see color appear from black and white lines.
pH of Drinks
Most people know that sugary drinks can cause cavities, but acidic drinks can also be bad for your teeth. Use pH paper to determine which drinks are the worst culprits. Be a junior dentist and recommend drinks to keep your teeth happy and healthy.
Sugary Snack Challenge
Be a junior nutritionist and take the sugary snack challenge. Which has more sugar 3 Oreo cookies or a granola bar? With the help of an electronic balance, determine how many teaspoons of sugar are in a can of soda. You may be surprised!
Testing for Fat
What foods contain fat? Are they all bad for you? Test avocado, baked potato, potato chips, marshmallows, and more to find out.
Testing Reaction Times
Are you faster than a blink of an eye? Would you be able to hit a fastball in a major league baseball game? How does talking on the cell phone affect your reaction time? Find out at the Lab.
Testing for Starch
What are carbohydrates and why do some people go on low carb diets? Learn more by adding an iodine solution to various foods to determine which contain starch, a type of carbohydrate.
Testing for Vitamin C
Why are English sailors called Limeys? Why is it important to get the daily recommended dose of vitamin C? Find out while being a junior food chemist. Conduct a series of microtitrations to determine which fruit juice has the most vitamin C.
Testing Water Filters
How do Brita filters work? Learn how to make dirty, smelly water clean by running a mini water treatment plant using charcoal and sand.
The Stroop Effect
Be a junior neuroscientist and determine how the brain handles interference by playing a fun color reading game. Get a chance to test out your friends or family and determine how much control they have over their brains.