Saturday DNA! Passaic - The Power of Plants & Yeast!

In this lab session, participants will dive into the two most essential biological processes that fuel life on Earth: photosynthesis and cellular respiration. Using spinach leaves and baker’s yeast, participants will observe how organisms capture and release energy—through floating leaf disks and bubbling balloons!

Participants will:

• Investigate how plants use sunlight to produce oxygen and glucose;
• Observe oxygen production in spinach leaves through floating leaf disks;
• Explore how yeast breaks down sugar to release energy and carbon dioxide;
• Measure gas production as evidence of cellular respiration.

Ages 13-18, no adult chaperone required.