​Ideas for Level 4 Investigations
(Included with Lab Books)

Rubric

• Example 1
• Example 2

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School AI Link

2nd Quarter: Structure and Function - Suggestions and Idea Links

• Ribozyme - the Only Enzyme that's Not a Protein
• Lactose Intolerance
• Specific Enzyme Disorders
• Macromolecule Make-up of Organs and Organ Systems
• Diseases/Disorders Related to Specific Macromolecules
• In-depth Investigation on Differences Between Specific Large Carbohydrates (i.e. Amylose vs Cellulose)
• Methods of Studying Macromolecules
• In-depth Analysis of Glycogenesis and Glycogen Synthesis
• Best Foods for Building Glycogen
• Glycogen Metabolism for Athletes
• Trans Fats
• Essential Fatty Acids
• Peptide Bonds vs Other Bonds
• Amino Acid Functions - Essential vs Non-essential
• Motor Proteins - Dynein and Kinesin
• Glycogenesis
• Cholesterol's Role in Cell Membranes
• Obesity changes the brain, with 'no sign of reversibility,' expert says
• Byproduct of sucralose, a chemical in Splenda, found to cause 'significant health effects' in new study
• ​Psychedelic medicine is coming - but who's going to guide your trip?
• A new way to kill tumors
• How your senses change as you age - and how to keep them sharp
• The groundbreaking promise of cellular 'housekeeping'
• What’s in melatonin—and is it giving you nightmares?
• Engineered ribosomes could make new polymers
• Stunning Images Reveal the Complex Beauty of Life Under a Microscope
• How Fat Signals Us to Eat More of It
• A synthetic embryo, made without sperm or egg, could lead to infertility treatments
• Dementia risk may increase if you’re eating these foods, study says
• 5 Lifestyle Factors Linked to Dementia
• Scientists Grew Stem Cell 'Mini Brains'. Then, The Brains Sort-of Developed Eyes
• New psychology research indicates that higher general cognitive ability is linked to reduced emotional responding
• Aggressive Cancer Cells Transformed Into Healthy Cells in Breakthrough
• UW professor wins prestigious Nobel Prize in chemistry for work on proteins
• People who consume more ultra-processed foods are more likely to experience psychological distress later in life​
• Exposure to Certain Fragrances During Sleep Dramatically Boosts Cognitive Function​

​1st Quarter: Ecology - Suggestions and Idea Links

• Endangered Species
• Pollution Effects on Specific Ecosystems
• Climate Change and Ecosystem Research
• Utah's Ecosystem
• Great Salt Lake
• Colorado River
• Antelope Island
• ​Strategies of Specific Organisms to Maintain Energy Balance
• Maintaining Energy Balance in Humans
• Energy Balance in the Animal Kingdom
• Calculating Energy Transfer in Animals
• Human Involvement in Food Webs
• Grasslands - Contribution to Food Webs and Ecosystem Sustainability
• How Cyanide Disrupts the Electron Transport Chain
• Detailed Analysis and Description of the Three Parts of Cellular Respiration
• Detailed Analysis and Description of the Process of Photosynthesis
• What is ATP and How is it Used?
• Mitochondrial Disorders - Choose a Specific Disorder to Research
• Fermentation Research
• How Cells Retrieve Glucose from Glycogen
• Tree stumps that should be dead can be kept alive by nearby trees
• Great Salt Lake's dry lakebed 'big' producer of greenhouse gas emissions, study finds
• Surprise: Bees Need Meat
• Brigham City battles algae on Mantua Reservoir, hopes to avoid another trout kill
• Scientists issue warning after observing troubling behavior shift in coastal bird species: 'Adverse effect[s] ... on its productivity'
• Methane-Producing Microbes Unlike Any Seen Before Found In Yellowstone’s Hot Springs
• Deep-ocean floor produces its own oxygen
• The US government gives nuclear energy a big boost
• Rising seas wiped out an entire US species for the first time. Scientists say it’s a sign of things to come
• A House Cat Was Brought To A Remote Island In 1894—A Year Later A Species Was Extinct
• “Planting parties” at Utah Lake working to rid the lake of invasive phragmites
• Utah has the fourth most toxic chemical releases of any state. The majority come from one source.
• Stop setting your thermostat at 72
• U.S. officials plan to kill hundreds of thousands of barred owls to save another species from extinction
• Microplastic Map Reveals Countries Consuming the Most
• It's a Nasty Hungry Pest and Scientists Just Mapped Its Genome
• Biologist's Fears Confirmed on the Lower Colorado River
• This 500-Year Old Tree in California Has a Story to Tell
• ​Scientists Find A Whole New Ecosystem Hiding Beneath Earth's Seafloor
• Why a conservancy nonprofit purchased a 320-acre plot of land in Bears Ears
• Harmful algal blooms may have killed 30 ducks at Liberty Park, Utah wildlife biologists say
• Scientists Say Recycling Has Backfired Spectacularly
• Florida community ordered to quarantine due to invasion of giant African land snails
• ​Watermelon snow turns Utah mountains red
• ​Here's how many times you need to reuse your reusable grocery bags
• Peering Into the Frozen Desert
• Future of American agriculture a 'wild ride,' analyst says​
• ​Massive ocean discovered beneath the Earth's crust containing more water than on the surface
• The remarkable resilience of Utah's state crustacean
• Green groups sue, say farmers are drying up Great Salt Lake
• Utah data helps researchers highlight how urbanization impacts wildlife