Pharmacology
Pharmacology is the study of how drugs and chemicals change the way a body works.
A pot of soup sits on a stove at a low heat. You add a pinch of spice, and the flavor shifts just a bit. Add a whole spoonful, and the taste changes so much you can barely eat it. The same pot reacts in different ways based on how much spice goes in.
Explaining pharmacology by grade level
Some drinks and pills change how a body works inside. In one test, a tiny water creature called daphnia was put in water with an energy drink. Its heart beat much faster than before. The drink changed how its body acted.
Projects that explore pharmacology
Different drugs produce different effects on the body — and daphnia make those effects visible. These small freshwater creatures have a transparent body, so their hearts can be watched beating under a microscope. Three over-the-counter medications — pseudoephedrine (a decongestant), aspirin (a pain reliever), and Benadryl (an antihistamine) — were each dissolved into separate water solutions. Groups of daphnia were placed in each solution, and their heart rates were compared to a control group in plain water to see which drugs sped the heart up and which slowed it down.
Pharmacology shows that everyday chemicals change the way a body works, and the amount matters. Daphnia are tiny see-through creatures whose hearts beat under a microscope. The higher the energy drink concentration, the faster the heart rate. Daphnia in pure water averaged 190 beats per minute, while those in full-strength Red Bull averaged 268.