Skip to main content

When fleas take energy drinks: a biology activity

Middle & High School

Do your students take energy drinks? What are these concoctions of caffeine, sugar, and herbal 
supplements doing to their bodies—especially compared to other caffeinated drinks like coffee? Well,  we don’t know exactly, but we are going to figure out what happens when water fleas chug energy drinks. 

In this biology activity—an extension of Ward's Effects of Drugs on Daphnia Kit—your students will be calculating the heart rate of the water flea Daphnia as it’s exposed to the ingredients of an energy drink, compared to a control.  By observing how drugs affect a living organism, it’ll become easier for your students to correlate the effects of drugs on their own bodies. Maybe by the end they’ll settle for a normal cup of Joe.

 

Download lesson

 

Recommended Products 

[StartProductBlock]

Ward's Effects of Drugs on Daphnia Kit

Ward's® Effects of Drugs on Daphnia Kit

Includes materials for 15 lab groups, a teacher’s guide, and a student copy master.

Shop Now

[EndProductBlock]

 

[StartProductBlock]

Live Water Fleas (Daphnia magna)

Daphnia are a widely studied small crustacean used for a number of physiology studies.

Shop Now

[EndProductBlock]

 

[StartProductBlock]

Polyethylene Transfer Pipettes

Polyethylene Transfer Pipettes

Disposable transfer pipettes for liquid handling.

Shop Now

[EndProductBlock]

 

[StartProductBlock]

Glass Depression Slides

Ideal for viewing living specimens suspended in liquid.

Shop Now

[EndProductBlock]

 

[StartProductBlock]

Glass Coverslips

Traditional coverslip type.

Shop Now

[EndProductBlock]

 

[StartProductBlock]

VWR® Standard and Advanced Microscopes

These student microscopes deliver high-quality performance at an economical price.

Shop Now

[EndProductBlock]