Cuppa Tea with a Side of Science
AP Biology students enjoyed a tea party this week while getting introduced to cell signaling. Students used gymnema tea (from the Gymnema sylverstre), which contains a molecule that acts as a 'sugar blocker', to temporarily inhibit their taste reception of sweetness. Students tasted aspartame, table sugar, cookies, apples and Smarties to see how their taste buds changed after sipping the tea. The students then did a phenomenal job drawing a model of how the taste cells work by receiving the inhibitor molecule from the tea on a protein receptor on the outside of a taste cell, passing the signal throughout the cell and producing a response by transmitting neurotransmitters to the brain as to whether the food item tasted sweet or not. Cell signaling and transduction pathways are some of the most challenging topics in AP Biology, but what a sweet way to introduce the pathways of cell communication and have students experience what they are learning.
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Saint Edward's School admits students of any race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, disability, national or ethnic origin, or marital status to all rights, priveleges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School, and does not discriminate on these bases – including traits associated with race such as protective hairstyles – in the administration of its admissions, educational, financial aid, or other School programs, in accordance with IRS regulations and Florida Statute §1002.421.
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