To Taste or Not to Taste

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In this biology activity (page 8 of the PDF), learners will determine whether they are "tasters" or "non-tasters", test selected individuals from their families and peer group for the trait, and chart findings from all learners to determine which trait is dominant. Although this activity was created as a post-visit for a workshop about genetics, it also makes an excellent stand alone activity.

Quick Guide

Preparation Time:
10 to 30 minutes
Learning Time:
1 to 7 days
Estimated Materials Cost:
$1 - $5 per student
Age Range:
Ages 14 - 18
Resource Types:
Activity, Experiment/Lab Activity
Language:
English

Materials List (per student)

  • Large sheet of butcher paper
  • PTC (phenylthiourea) Taste Paper
  • Sodium Benzoate Taste Paper
  • Thiourea Taste Paper
  • Control Taste Paper
  • Envelopes containing three complete sets of Taste Papers, numbered to match the sequence of the activity
  • Notebook paper
  • pencil
  • paper cup of water

Keywords

Subjects

  • Life Sciences
    • Heredity and Genetics
      • Patterns of Heredity
      • Human Genetics
    • Human Senses and Perception
      • Taste
  • The Nature of Science
    • The Scientific Process
      • Conducting Investigations
      • Gathering Data
      • Formulating Explanations
      • Communicating Results

Audience

To use this activity, learners need to:

  • read
  • taste
  • touch

Learning styles supported:

  • Involves teamwork and communication skills
  • Involves hands-on or lab activities

Other

Includes alignment to state and/or national standards:

This resource is part of:

Access Rights:

  • Free access

By:

Source Collection

  • Student Workshops

Rights:

  • All rights reserved, COSI Columbus, 2009