Using immobilised beads of algae to investigate the rate of

photosynthesis.
This is a neat idea to immobilise algae in alginate beads and use them to investigate photosynthesis
rate. The concentration of carbon dioxide in the solution can be measured using a data logger or an
indicator like bicarbonate indicator can be used. This will work best if used in conjunction with a
colorimeter.  A range of factors could be tested including temperature, light intensity,frequency of
light. Steps must be taken to control variables or to monitor variables which are impossible to
control.

Antibacterial properties of a food or food ingredient.

There are many possible investigations here, from mint to chili. controlling the conditions of growth of
the bacteria and ensuring save sterile technique are some of the problems. Actually measuring
zones of inhibition is quite easy but preparation of a range of concentrations of the food ingredient
may prove difficult to organise. If it was possible to quantify and identify the active ingredient then
there is more chance of success. Finding a mechanism of action is another desirable outcome, but a
study which simply identifies a correlation or a lack of one, without a mechanism, will also be
acceptable for an IA.

The affect of temperature on non-enzyme controlled

reactions or processes.
This is an interesting twist on an classic enzyme reaction.  What is the effect of temperature on the
absorbance of light by photosynthetic pigments?  Is there a difference in the stretchiness of a ring of
artery at different temperatures. Of course the control of all the other variables which may affect the
reaction will be important and may not be easy.  You have to collect sufficient data and repeats of
each value a,d it would be good to be able to suggest a possible biological mechanism, although this
isn't essential.

Ripeness of fruit and vitamin C content.

Does ascorbic acid get converted to sugar as part of the ripening process of a fruit.  The challenge of
this IA would be to accurately, or quantitatively estimate the ripeness of the fruit.  This could be
helped if the fruit can actually be collected as it falls off the tree. Perhaps the colour of the fruit can
suggest ripeness, and remember that many plant parts contain vitamin C, not just oranges. DCPIP
will be useful as an indicator of the concentration of vit C but a calibration curve might be useful.

Effects of light on vitamin C.

This investigation is interesting as it relates to the shelf life of food and also the quality of food after
the processing.  If a bottle of juice is stored in direct sunlight does the vitamin C get damaged.  Using
DCPIP and a simple titration an experiment can be planned to estimate the concentration of vitamin
C in a juice drink after a range of different light treatments.  Artificial bulbs or sunlight screens could
be used to get a range of the independent variable, and of course it will be important to control other
variables.
[There are many possible variations on this experiment: such as looking at storage temperature, or
interactions with other chemicals, preservatives, colourings, or perhaps even other fruit juices which
may cause oxidation or decomposition of Vitamin C., Even simple contact with the air may have an
effect. It might also be possible to compare the stability of different sources of vitamin C at different
temperatures.  Why limit yourself to vitamin C, any nutrient which can be tested would lend itself to
this type of study.  It would be possible to estimate the concentration of enzymes like catalase in
samples of fruit, for example.]
Photosynthesis and light colours.
This study as an IA could attempt to answer the following type of research questions, "Given that the
absorption spectrum of chlorophyll has peaks at blue and red, can a while light be replaced by a blue
and red light and still give the same amount of photosynthesis?"  Of course there are many
alternatives, but by trying to answer a precise question like this the planning can be a little simpler.
Having said that of course it is important the the background of the exploration section includes
appropriate reference to biology theory. There are many ways to measure the rate of
photosynthesis, using data logging probes, little clips of spinach leaves, Elodea, and more. This can
make for a wide range of choices in the planning of the experiment.  Every experiment will need
careful consideration of the controlled variables too.

Methods of preventing decay in vegetables

This is an applied study of inhibition of enzyme reactions, or the prevention of the growth of spoiling
bacteria.  It is vital to decide which one of these is the focus of the research question, at the
beginning. The way in which bacteria might spoil food could be influenced by the origins of the food,
it's cultivation, organic or not, and any treatment after harvesting, or during transport. Controlling
these factors will be a challenge but might be possible by washing in diluted antiseptic solution.  Of
cause all the normal problems of control of temperature and other factors during the experiment will
be important too.  There are lots of possible research questions, and using a single type of vegetable
will be more focused than comparing several.
If enzyme reactions are thought to cause the decay this will make for another research pathway. Of
course reactions will happen more slowly at cold temperatures, but there may be inhibitors or
catalysts in the environment such as plant hormones, acids or oxygen.  Perhaps the enzymes of one
fruit (like bananas) will have an effect on another, we all know that storage of bananas and unripe
Kiwis can speed up ripening but do they speed up spoiling?
The role of stomata in controlling transpiration rates -
using a microscope

Why not use a microscope to investigate a biological process like transpiration? Of course factors
which influence the rate of transpiration such as temperature and humidity will need to be controlled
if the rate of transpiration is the dependent variable and stomata 'openness' or 'size' is the
independent variable but there are other possibilities.  It might be possible to sample leaves in
different parts of a plant, so the independent variable is the position on the plant.  Leaves in
sunshine, or shade, leaves on a plant which is gradually experiencing more water stress, leaves in
rapidly moving air (like on a windy day) compared to slower moving air.  Painting nail varnish onto
the leaves may be a good solution, but there are clip on telephone microscopes which could snap a
photo in which stomata would be visible.

The effects of playing the flute on asthma, studied using a

peak flow meter.
Miller and Goss (in 2013) published an interesting paper which explored physiological responses
to playing the American flute. In their methods they show that listening to the music has little effect,
but in the conclusions they suggest that beneficial effects of playing a wind instrument are worthy of
further study.  This would be a very nice starting point for an individual investigation, especially for a
student who plays a wind instrument. One suggestion is that playing the flute may help people with
asthma and it is quite easy to measure peak flow in the lab using a spirometer or a simple peak flow
meter.
 

Testing enzyme activity in the presence of a suspected

inhibitor.
This is a simple twist on a standard enzyme experiment. Students should be able to design an
experiment to collect data testing the idea that X inhibitor (eg. a heavy metal or ethanol) either does
or doesn't inhibit an enzyme.  If the experiment is designed carefully it may be possible to decide
whether the inhibition is reversible or not, and / or if the inhibitor is competitive or non-competitive. Of
course the usual controls of the other variables which affect enzymes will be needed.  It would also
be helpful to test if the indicator is affected by the suspected enzyme inhibitor, if there is one.

Investigation of a factor which might affect skin

temperature.
This seems like an easy investigation but it certainly has challenges. Careful organise for the
collection of meaningful data and controlling variables other than the IV will be required. Consent
forms for participants are essential and some biological reasoning for the possibility of a correlation
will be important.  Possible specific research questions could address temperatures of different parts
of the skin, related to hair, or muscle, or blood circulation. alternatively differences between different
people, some have cold hands and feet for example.

Data based investigation of animal diseases

In many countries the occurrence of diseases in farm animals or fisheries is recorded by a national
agricultural service. At the same time there are possible causes of the spread of disease, or animal
susceptibility to infections. For example, migratory birds could spread disease to free range chicken
farms, rainfall could affect the spread of a disease, perhaps the location of the farmers market, or
other factors affecting contact between cattle. Climate data, or geographical location of different
farms could be used to test for correlations.  In this type of study it is important to be selective about
the data and to try to control other variables, for example the size of farms, the breed of animals, etc.

The effect of an abiotic factor on a single feature of leaf

structure
This is an interesting opportunity to investigate form and function in the leaves of plants. There are
several features of plant leaves which are easy to see with the naked eye, such as shape and
colour. Other features require some kind of measuring tool, for example a colorimeter for pigment
composition, or for measuring thickness.  There are also features which may be interesting to study
with a microscope for example, stomata density, the shape of pallisade mesophyll cells, the
presence or absence of hairs, or the density of hairs on different parts of the leaf might be
interesting.  Abiotic factors could be identified and the sites of leaf sampling could be carefully
chosen to incorporate control of variables. While this might be difficult there is a lot which can be
considered such as amount of water in the soil, light levels, wind speed, etc.
The effect of aphids on a single aspect of plant structure.
Beans and roses grown in a garden often suffer from the presence of aphids.  In my garden the
aphids are sometimes actually cultivated by ants. Does this herbivory affect any structures on the
plant leaves. Do the leaves respond to the presence of the aphids?  For example could there be an
increase in the thickness of epithelial cells in the leaf, could there be an increase in the density of
hairs on the veins of the leaf, alternatively could the presence of leaf hairs on the veins affect the
distribution of aphids on the leaves?  There are plenty of options in this kind of study but it could only
be carried out during the summer / autumn season when leaves have had time to respond.

The effects of aquatic plants on the nitrate content of

water.
We know that plants take up nitrates from their roots by diffusion or active transport and that
ecological swimming pools can be constructed using plants and gravel instead of filters. However, in
high nitrate water the algae can bloom and cause eutrophication. Would other plants cause
eutrophication at high nitrate levels, or is it the fact the algae reduce light penetration in the water
and thus lead to the death of some of the algae and the growth of bacteria which causes
eutrophication?  This topic is a rich source of research questions and it is quite easy to test the
nitrate (and other ion) content of water. What about experimenting with lettuce plants in a
hydroponics system or in a school aquarium?
 

Other microscope ideas  - 

leaf structure, relative depth of palisade cells, or number of layers of palisade cells in ivy from
different locations,
petals insect navigation and pollination,
human skin suppleness and wrinkles,
root hair distribution in germinating seeds, or garlic roots,
ecological changes in microscopic organisms in a hay infusion,
cytoplasmic streaming in Elodea chloroplasts under different light intensities.
Note: I must look at some of the microscope sites for more ideas.

Testing the effectiveness of different types of toothpaste. 

Toothpaste is labelled according to how natural or how chemical the contents are.  This study could
be an investigation of how effectively the toothpaste inhibits the growth of bacteria according to the
scale of the chemicals in the toothbrush. A challenge is to work out the biological reasons behind
you hypothesis, and it may be a good idea to branch away from toothpaste to test a specific
chemical from the ingredients in the toothpaste.

Testing spoilage of milk in different conditions. 

Lactobacilli reproduction and growth is the cause of milk spoilage.  What effect do conditions, such
as temperature, sunlight have on the rate of spoilage.  This is a nice wet laboratory project and there
are some simple ways to measure the growth of the bacteria but these can be fiddly to work out, and
concentrations of bacteria used in inoculations will need working out.
Tomato online simulation photosynthesis lab (Leaf lab) 
Using LeafLab - plant physiology/photosynthesis to test the effectiveness of different colours of light
on the photosynthesis rate of tomato plants.  The data collection using the online lab may be easy
enough, but the challenge is going to be designing a meaningful experiment and collecting enough
results to complete the analysis well.

Investigation of Age and reaction speed 

This is an investigation to test a hypothesis that reaction time wll slow down with age.  By testing
people of different ages to see if there is a difference in their reaction time it may seem like a simple
study, but there are a lot of factors which need to be controlled and it will be difficult to find enough
participants to create a large enough data set.  There are also many factors to consider in the type of
reaction speed test that is used and there are also problems associated with the learning of the skill
during the experiment.

Examining the relationship between cases of a disease and weather

patterns. 
This investigation tries to establish a pattern between the weather and the spread of a disease.
Using nationally published data on epidemiology and weather data is certainly possible and it could
happen that there are correlations between climate and some disease outbreaks this will need
explaining in terms of the mechanisms of transmission of the specific disease.  Some diseases
spread through direct contact, others are transmitted by an insect vector.

Testing the accuracy of colour vision using online colour tests 

There are some quite nice online tests of colour vision, and also many telephone apps.  This
investigation is Design an experiment to investigate a factor which affects the precision of colour
vision, age, tiredness, gender, eye colour, etc. http://www.xrite.com/online-color-test-challenge.

Flowering stages of a plant at different altitudes 

The climate is different at different altitudes and the growing season begins later at high altitude.
This investigation relies on the recording of abiotic data and data about the stage of the flowering
cycle using the number of flowers / fruit / buds etc in a single species at different altitudes up a
mountain.  Of course there will be other factors to consider, for example local feature of the habitat
where the plants are growing and the aspect of the flowers' location, not to mention grazing and
grass cutting.

The effect of river pollution on the presence of a single species 

It is quite easy to record the number of individual plants / animals of a single species in a river at
different distances above and below a possible source of pollution. If some abiotic factors can also
be recorded including the pollution level, eg nitrate level, BOD, turbidity etc. then this could be a very
good study.

The effects of antibiotics on the germination of seeds or the growth

of plants - 
This looks like an interesting topic of study.  Many methods are possible, and there has been some
very recent research suggesting that antibiotics can affect the growth of seeds and plants.
ref P.W. Brian and also Louis G. Nickell and Alexander C. Finlay in the Journal of agricultural and
Food chemistry, 2015

Do plants grow faster in soil which has more microbial activity

(respiration) 
This investigation  could be a nice way to combine two standard procedures, one to estimate the
rate of respiration in the soil and another to estimate the rate of growth of a plant. Soil respiration
can be measured using a CO2 probe and a data logger the same equipment could be used to
measure the rate of photosynthesis, although growth (or photosynthesis) can be measured in other
ways too. There are lots of practical problems to overcome, most importantly how to change the soil
so that it has different amounts of respiration. One idea would be to make a series of soils using
active compost and sand.  it might even be possible to use mesocosms to perform this investigation
as these would make it easier to control more of the other variables.

The effect of pets on the diversity of plants in a garden lawn. 

This is a nice idea for an investigation into the number of species found in a garden in houses where
there are pets and no pets.  Ecological techniques and quadrat sampling could be used together
with mapping of digging or scratching to establish whether the presence of a pet increases plant
diversity or not.  There are many possible variations, perhaps the presence of animal excrement
could be the causal factor, otherwise some species may be more resistant to scratching and
disturbance, caged animals can selectively graze on parts of a lawn, just to mention a few ideas.

The effect of temperature / light on the ripening of fruit, e.g.

bananas, cherries, tomatoes. 
The challenge is really how to control the temperature of the fruit (or the light) for a long period of
time, perhaps 2 weeks. Another difficulty will be to devise a way to measure the extent of fruit
ripening, or softness. Bananas lend themselves to this because their skin changes colour. Of course
the underlying processes are controlled by enzymes, or the fruit ripening hormone ether.

What is the difference in the CO  levels in exhaled air before and

2

after exercise? 
This investigation might sound simple at a first glance but there are many difficulties to overcome in
terms of controlled variables and the method of measuring the CO 2. This might involve the use of a
data logger, or perhaps a titration using bromothymol blue.  The release of CO2 by the body in the
lungs is not simple either, factors to consider include the relative amounts of aerobic and anaerobic
respiration, as well as the position of the muscles being exercised.  Perhaps the muscles with a
greater blood flow will cause a different effect to those in the bodies extremities, and what effect
could warming up have on the process?

How does a specific abiotic factor affect biodiversity in a habitat? 

This is nice project if there is a specific environmental gradient in the site being investigated.  The
use of a transect of transects will be useful for the sampling. The challenge is to explain why there
might be a change using biology and then to test it using some type of ecological sampling. 
Ensuring that there is enough data will also be important as there are likely to be quite a few other
factors which will need controlling or considering at least.

The effect of a short burst of exercise on blood pressure or two

groups of people. 
This is a simple experiment to carry out, but a difficult experiment to get good controlled data for. 
There needs to be some clear links to the biology of blood pressure and how exercise affects it. A
clear RQ is essential and there are quite a few possibilities.  Controlling factors which can affect
blood pressure could be an investigation in itself!  Of course the IB guidelines on experimentation
needs to be followed and written consent sought for participants.

The effect of a warm up on the maximum heart rate (or maximum

speed) achieved in a standard test 
The role of a warm up in sport is clear. Athletes perform better if they warm up properly before an
event.  Is there an optimum intensity of warm up to achieve best performance?  Can the max
performance be measured best using max heart rate or maximum speed? These are just some of
the questions which will need answering.
The effect of isotonic drinks on rehydration and recovery after
exercise 
The problem of this investigation is that it is difficult to measure rehydration or salinity.  At the end of
a long endurance event cramps and muscle fatigue will be evident but this is not possible to recreate
in the lab in school.  Perhaps some form of experiment using isotonic solutions on slightly
dehydrated muscle tissue from a chicken leg, or liver would work. This would be a challenge and it
would require some research before beginning.  Avoid any investigation where you are getting
friends to drink Gatorade and measuring some unrelated but easy to measure factor, like pulse rate.

The effect of different colours of light on the growth of seedlings 

This is an interesting study and it links to the role of auxin as well as photosynthesis so there is
theory to discuss.  Practical procedures and controls will be the challenge, but data should be easy
to record if the seedlings grow.  Some preparation time will be required to germinate and plant the
seeds.

The effect of salt on the germination of seeds. 

This is an interesting topic of investigation which relates to osmosis and ecology.  Some plants grow
well in coastal soils with igh salt concentrations but others don't. The practical methods to germinate
seeds and select appropriate salt concentrations will present definite challenges but this is an
interesting study for students living near the coast, or in places where salt is applied to the roads in
winter.

Examining the effect of plants on the solutes in the runoff from soils 
While there is a considerable challenge in designing apparatus and growing plants the idea of using
plants to filter the water in 'ecological' swimming pools is quite well established. There may be a
combination of roles for plant roots and bacteria in the substrate and both of these link to the
nitrogen cycle and so would allow for a detailed hypothesis and a focused research question.

Examining the glucose concentration in something 

using potassium permanganate and heating, from a protocol from Science & plants for schools. This
is an interesting quantitative method to estimate glucose concentration.  It could be used in a wide
range of labs.  Lots of plant ideas in the questions and answers  It is also possible to use this
method to study glucose levels in ripening fruit, lactase activity in milk producing glucose or maltase
activity in germinating seeds.

Examining a factor which affects vital capacity, or tidal capacity of

the lungs. 
The greatest challenge in this investigation is getting a large enough data set which takes into
consideration enough of the factors which need to be controlled. Comparing boys and girls for
example will be impossible, unless the sample size is very large.  One possible solution is to
measure another (or some other) factors about the body and look for a correlation. One nice idea
might be to see if the growth in the lungs' vital capacity correlates better with the circumference of
the skull or the length of the legs in children of different ages.  Biological explanations could look at
the way we grow, and if the brain changes size at the same rate as the lungs. It may even be
possible to find a database of measurements of children of different ages. There are some ethical
questions involved too, and parental consent will be essential for any experiments on children.

The effect of soil pH on the germination of seeds 

This is a simple idea, but the explanation is more complex, and this might be the challenge of this
particular investigation.  Would soil pH effect the enzymes in the seed responsible for germination, is
there another explanation?  Controlling other factors which affect germination and collecting a large
enough data set will also be good challenges for a Biology student to work out.
Investigation of the functioning of the eyes when using paper or different electronic screens
First is to ensure that there is some biology to explain any hypothesis, and that the RQ is firmly
focused in the Biology. Then is is going to be a challenge to design a method of data collection
which controls all the possible variables. Some independent variables will be easier to test than
others, for example size of text and distance wt which it can be read, would be better than
measuring reading speed which can be affected by many other variables.

Examining the effect of household cleaning products on the growth of

house plants 
This could be a difficult investigation to do quantitatively unless there was a longer time period
available to observe growth.  There could be some biology theory applied to the plants leaves, or
roots.  Processes such as diffusion and osmosis as well as the effect of chemicals on components of
cell membranes, or on enzymes could be included in the theory. Some of the challenges of this type
of investigation will be controlling other factors which affect the growth of plants. One option might be
to test the chemicals on small aquatic plants, or germinating seedlings, but there are challenges to
overcome here too.

Using published epidemiological data to examine a link between an

illness and a specific factor.
Here the challenge is the exploration section. You have to show that the data has been carefully
selected, and that measures have been taken to ensure that other factors which might affect the
data have been controlled, by careful selection of the data used. Some assessment of the reliability
of the sources will be needed and some discussion of ethics of using someone's data, with their
consent, hopefully.  The best investigations will have a biological reason why there might be a
correlation between the IV and the DV.  The data must be analysed by the student and tables /
graphs etc. should include all the normal conventions of d.p. and uncertainties.

Investigation of the effects of natural selection related to colour

markings of a single species of animal or plant 
This is a great idea, but it could be complex and time consuming depending on the lab.  There are
some online simulations but these can only be used in conjunction with some other analysis; never
just present the online lab as an investigation on it's own. Other possibilities are paper simulations,
e.g. with peppered moth types.  Practical work could look at the density of aphids on leaves of
different shades, or bumble bee feeding on flowers of different shapes or predator prey interactions
etc.  Lots of scope but not an easy investigation to complete in the time, in 12 pages.

Investigation into the effect of regular exercise on the increase in

pulse rate after a short period of exercise. 
This is a bit more complex than a simple pulse rate investigation, but the challenge to control
variables is equally great.  If a person exercises regularly they should have a better level of fitness,
this might mean that their heart rate increases by less in the short burst of exercise than someone
who does no regular exercise.

Investigation of the properties of photosynthetic pigments using

different solvent mixes and rf values. 
This investigation is a bit biochemical and the answer to simple research questions about the
hydrophobic / hydrophyllic properties of photosynthetic pigments themselves would be a little bit
obvious, so the challenge is to thing of a research question that could be answered by mixing
petroleum ether (a nonpolar solvent) and propanone (a polar solvent) in different proportions and
calculating retention factors.  Some suggestions of research questions may be; Is there a difference
in the composition of photosynthetic pigments in the leaves of a plant found in the sun or the shade?
Which pigments are made first in a growing leaf, or are all the pigments made at the same time?
How does the shade of a leaf relate to the composition of photosynthetic pigments it contains?
Investigation of the behaviour of two groups of animals, or several
groups of animals in a range of conditions. 
This investigation is going to require a very precise research question and some careful
methodology to ensure that the data collected can be used to answer the RQ.  However it could be
really interesting to compare simple behaviour in animals.  Does the behaviour of an animal change
as the population increases? Do individuals of different types all behave in the same way to a
stimulus.

Investigation of SA:vol on the rate of diffusion 

This is a standard lab and the challenge will be to ensure that it is put into an interesting biological
context. Starting with a process which requires diffusion in living cells will help the topic to be
interesting and will show some personal engagement. The analysis of the results and the design of
the method is another place where PE can be demonstrated, try to take the standard lab and adapt it
so show something which is not 'standard'. 

Investigating the effect of sucrose concentration of the rate of

respiration in yeast. 
This is interesting because the higher concentrations will cause outward osmosis in the yeast and
perhaps slow down respiration, or even kill the yeast. Lower concentrations will slow respiration
because of a lack of substrate.  The challenge will be in deciding which concentrations to test and in
explaining the results.

The effect of exam conditions on a physiological feature of the body. 

In this investigation a change in a physiological feature is explored. There are plenty of factors to
control which makes this investigation difficult and if there isn't enough data or the controls are
not in place this could lead to a low mark after much work.  The choice of physiological features of
the body could include heart rate, or pupil size, or skin redness. Measuring theses factors might be
tricky and will involve some testing, although using a phone camera or a video camera could help. It
is possible to establish a theoretical link between mild stress and adrenaline (epinephrine) which will
affect features in the body including pupil size but it is not possible to directly measure the level of
any hormones in the body.  Remember any participants will need to give written consent before any
experimenting, and the mild stress of exam conditions must be harmless.
total = 30

Investigations to avoid ! 
Every year the examiners' report mentions problematic Investigations, those which are unethical, or
standard labs which are not applied to any specific interest.  The following examples are not
unethical, but just not very good, because the data is rarely enough for a good analysis and difficult
to control.

Investigation of the effect of music on the heart rate. 

Don't do it! This sounds like an easy investigation but it is tricky because first there needs to be
some biological reason why the heart should speed up in the presence of music and this is
impossible to explain with IB Biology. Perhaps another research question will be better, something
linked to hormones, or to physical activity.  If you insist on trying this then be sure to cover the
control of variables, there are a lot which can affect the heart. Perhaps one of these other variables
will be a better variable to investigate instead of music. If you are still not dissuaded then be sure to
collect enough data and try to be analytical, don't mix types of music and tempos of music and try to
keep the investigation to some biological cause or effect. The IB advise student and teachers, each
year, to avoid this sort of lab.
The effect of reading different genres of literature on blood pressure
and pulse rate. 
Avoid this type of investigation, .  While it is an interesting idea, like the example above there are
many factors to control in this investigation, which is an interesting modification of a standard lab
looking at exercise.  The difficulty begins with identifying the genres in a scientific way. The
biological explanation of why blood pressure might change when reading may be tenuous. This
could be compared to listening to music where research has been done to establish that pulse rate
can be affected by music.