
OTC Medications and Daphnia Heart Rate
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Can common medicines speed up or slow down a tiny animal's heartbeat? Daphnia are small freshwater creatures with a transparent body. You can watch their heart beat under a microscope.
You dissolve three over-the-counter medications into separate water solutions:
- Pseudoephedrine (a decongestant)
- Aspirin (a pain reliever)
- Benadryl (an antihistamine)
First, record the heart rate of ten daphnia in plain water as a control. Then place new groups of daphnia in each medication solution. Use a video camera attached to the microscope and count heartbeats in slow-motion playback.
Compare each group's heart rate to the control to see which drugs speed the heart up and which slow it down.
Hypothesis
The hypothesis is that Pseudoephedrine will increase the heart rate of daphnia, aspirin will increase the heart rate of daphnia, and Benadryl will decrease the heart rate of daphnia.
Method & Materials
You will set up a microscope and video camera, fill three beakers with water, dissolve pills in each beaker, and record the heart rate of the daphnia before and after the medications are administered.
You will need a microscope, video camera, Pseudoephedrine pill, Benadryl pill, Aspirin Pill, video tape, three Petri dishes, and three beakers.
Results
The results of the experiment showed that Pseudoephedrine sped the daphnia's heart up, while the other two drugs slowed it down. This suggests that the hypothesis was accepted for Pseudoephedrine and Benadryl, but rejected for aspirin.
Why do this project?
This science project is interesting because it explores the effects of common over-the-counter medications on a tiny aquatic creature. It also provides an opportunity to use a microscope and video camera to measure the heart rate of the daphnia.
Also Consider
Variations to consider include testing the effects of different concentrations of the medications, or testing the effects of different types of medications.
Full project details
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