HSC Biology case studies
HSC Biology · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The NSW Higher School Certificate Biology course, often called HSC Biology or Biology Stage 6, is a senior secondary science subject completed in Years 11 and 12 in New South Wales, Australia. It suits students who want a deeper understanding of living systems and who may pursue tertiary study in health, environmental or life sciences. The HSC Biology case studies are 7 cases and about 3,073 words.
1The Diving Seal and the Limits of Diffusion
A research team studies a Weddell seal that dives to 500 m and remains submerged for 22 minutes. Muscle biopsies show myoglobin concentration roughly 10 times that of human muscle, and the seal's muscle fibres are unusually small in diameter.
445 words, about 2 min2Phloem Transport in a Girdled Tree
A 12-year-old eucalyptus has a band of bark and cambium removed around its entire trunk, 1.5 m above the ground. The tree is otherwise healthy and well watered.
402 words, about 2 min3A Frog Population Split by a New Highway
A wetland population of 4,000 green and golden bell frogs is divided when a four-lane highway is built through the middle of the breeding area. Before construction, genetic sampling showed allele frequencies at three microsatellite loci were statistically indistinguishable across the wetland.
463 words, about 2 min4Rewilding, Trophic Cascades and a Carbon Claim
A 40,000-hectare reserve reintroduces wolves after a 70-year absence. Baseline data: elk density 8 per km², willow saplings heavily browsed along streams, and stream banks eroding.
444 words, about 2 min5Two Families, One Recessive Disorder
A couple, Priya and Daniel, both unaffected, have a son with an autosomal recessive condition. Genetic testing shows Priya is heterozygous for a known pathogenic variant (allele a) and Daniel carries a different pathogenic variant in the same gene (allele a′).
427 words, about 2 min6Antibiotic Resistance in a Hospital Outbreak
A hospital ICU reports 14 cases of bloodstream infection with Klebsiella pneumoniae over six weeks. All isolates are resistant to carbapenems.
435 words, about 2 min7Screening, Incidence and a New Treatment
A national bowel cancer screening programme using faecal occult blood testing is offered to people aged 50–74 every two years. Over ten years, mortality from bowel cancer falls 16% in the screened age group, but the incidence of late-stage disease falls only 4%.
457 words, about 2 min