Biology Lab #3

Using Scientific Inquiry to Solve a Mystery Analysis and Interpretations: 1) Using my senses helped me determine the identity of the unknown food substances because I noticed that when I first made my prediction based only on my sense of sight it was different then when I used my sense of taste, touch, and smell. 2) The sense not used in this investigation was my sense of hearing. An investigation that would require that I have use of this sense is determining which animal made the noise without you being able to see the animal.

3) An inference is a conclusion drawn from evidence. Inferences helped me determine the identity of the food substances because it gave me an idea of what some of the possibilities of the samples are. 4) In my opinion I think that taste was most helpful in identifying the food substance because sometimes when I was only using my sight to identify it would look similar to other samples. Meanwhile, each sample had its own distinctive taste.

5) One sense organ I relied on in this lab was my sense of smell. The nose has two holes called nostrils and nasal cavities, which are separated by a wall called the septum, which is made of thin pieces of bone. At the tip of your nose is the septum, which is made up of cartilage. The nasal cavity that is located behind your nose and in the middle of your face connects the back of the throat and is separated from the inside of your mouth by your palate. Your nose allows you to make scents by the olfactory epithelium. The olfactory epithelium contains special receptors that are sensitive enough to identify odors molecules in the air. When a couple the ten million receptors in your nose are stimulated by the odor, the signal travels along the olfactory nerve to your olfactory bulb that is located in the front of your brain right above the nasal cavity. Your brain then interprets the combination of receptors that were stimulated and can recognize over 10,000 different types of smells. 6) If I had to give up one of my senses for the rest of my life I would have to give up my sense of taste. I would choose my sense of taste because I feel its the least important. You need sight and hearing to see and hear your surroundings. You need your sense of touch to be able to feel to see if things are sharp. You need your sense of smell to be able to smell smoke in case of a fire. While you dont necessarily need your sense of taste to survive.