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

Use spinach and yeast to explore photosynthesis and cellular respiration - the most essential biological processes on Earth! 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.