Stay-at-home science project: Enlarge gummy bears to reveal the secrets of osmosis
Pure water makes the bears swell up, but salt water keeps them pretty small. Why? Osmosis. (Rachel Feltman/)Welcome to PopSci’s at-home science projects series. On weekdays at noon, we’ll be posting new projects that use ingredients you can buy at the grocery store. Show us how it went by tagging your project on social media using #popsciprojects.Gummy bears are delicious. That’s not up for debate (though you’re welcome to eat a few to prove the hypothesis). But they’re also the perfect critters to help demonstrate a process that makes life as we know it possible: Osmosis.Believe it or not, osmosis also happens when you drop gummy bears into water, revealing the most basic inner workings of your body’s cells. Just add water and a spoonful of salt to see it happen before your eyes.StatsTime: 5 minutes of prep, and 3 to 9 hours of waitingDifficulty: EasyWhat you’ll needGummy bears, preferably...