Introducing the Role of Metals in Biology to High School Students

Abstract

Metals enable numerous physiological processes ranging from respiration to nitrogen fixation. However, the role of metals in biology and biocatalysis is not appreciated by the general public. This lack of knowledge around biological metals can lead to misinformation, especially regarding vaccines and health products.Here, we present a series of easy-to-implement experiments and demonstrations that can be incorporated in the high school curriculum to introduce students to the role of metals in biology. Our results from running these experiments/demonstrations in virtual (N = 6−10) and in-person (N = 22; N = 9−12) formats reveal that only 9−30% of high school students are aware of the presence of metals in humans. These statistics can be changed to 48−100% by incorporating proposed experiments and content in the curriculum.