The 101 Collection for Introductory Biology
Each of our College-Level Suites include selections specifically developed with introductory and non-majors courses in mind. These "101 Collection" labs provide an effective, inexpensive, and easy-to-implement option to provide engaging simulated laboratory experiences for topics that are not generally amenable to wet-lab experimentation. While all of our labs have some open-ended exercises, the more directed structure of the 101 Collection labs has made them especially popular for larger classes (where grading can be challenging) and for homework assignments.
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Intro Bio/Non-majors Labs
EvoBeaker: Evolutionary EvidenceA powerful lab for introducing students to the evidence that convinces biologists that life on earth evolved. It covers a key piece of evidence for evolutionary theory, focusing on how related species should have nested sets of traits that reflect their evolutionary tree. ... Read more + Add to course collection |
EvoBeaker: Sickle-Cell AllelesAn interactive simulation of the classic malaria and sickle-cell anemia system is used to explore natural selection and genetic drift. Students examine African villages with different malaria death rates. First they use the Hardy-Weinberg equation to calculate the expected proportion of sickle-cell carriers from HbS and HbA allele frequencies. ... Read more + Add to course collection |
EvoBeaker: Darwinian SnailsAn introductory lab that examines the assumptions behind natural selection using an engaging interactive simulation of green crabs preying on periwinkle snails. Students are able to "violate" each assumption in turn to explore whether evolution by natural selection still occurs. Exercises are targeted to address common misconceptions among biology students. ... Read more + Add to course collection |
EvoBeaker: Flowers and TreesIntroduces students to evolutionary trees using an interactive simulation of Columbine flower diversification. Students observe Columbine populations split and diverge while an expanding evolutionary tree illustrates each population's history. Students further learn to interpret evolutionary trees by creating their own and reconstructing the history of mystery populations. ... Read more + Add to course collection |
EcoBeaker: Isle RoyaleThis popular laboratory explores basic population biology concepts including exponential and logistic growth and carrying capacity. It is based on the textbook example of a predator-prey system involving wolves and moose on an island in Lake Superior. Students start out by characterizing the growth of a colonizing population of moose in the absence of predators. ... Read more + Add to course collection |
EcoBeaker: Keystone PredatorThis laboratory recreates the famous experiments of Paine and colleagues in the Pacific Northwest with the sea star Pisaster (and 8 other marine intertidal species). Students do transplant experiments to figure out competitive relationships and sample gut contents to construct a food web. Next they use their data to predict what will happen when each predator is removed from the system. ... Read more + Add to course collection |
EcoBeaker: Nutrient Pollution (formerly "Sewage")What will happen if your city starts dumping lots of extra sewage into your local lake? ... Read more + Add to course collection |
OsmoBeaker: DiffusionThis lab confronts common misconceptions about diffusion using engaging simulated molecular-level experiments. The lab first focuses students' attention on how individual molecules move under different conditions. It then sets up a fun experiment that allows them to explore whether nerve cells could use diffusion to move materials from the cell body to the synapses at the tips of their axons. ... Read more + Add to course collection |
OsmoBeaker: OsmosisThis popular lab places students in the role of a doctor providing intravenous fluids to a patient. They must compose an intravenous fluid that does not cause the patient's red blood cells to expand or shrink. Using simulated cells, students explore osmosis with no, one, two, and many solutes. ... Read more + Add to course collection |
Mitosis & Meiosis Demystified: Mitosis, MeiosisThese two interactive tutorials, one on mitosis, the other on meiosis, were created by the University of Amsterdam. These are among the best interactive tutorials we've seen. ... Read more + Add to course collection |