ACT Science Question of the Day
Test your knowledge with a hand-picked multiple-choice question.
A medical researcher is testing the effectiveness of a particular supplementation regimen in controlling the accumulation of LDL cholesterol. Her experimental animals are three different groups of mice. Strains X and Y are laboratory mice whose tendencies toward accumulation of LDL cholesterol are well known. The last group consists of mice caught in the wild.
Experiment 1
Population A, consisting of all three groups, was bred for several generations and given a diet moderate in saturated and trans fats. No supplementation was given. Accumulation of LDL cholesterol occurred at the following rates:
Strain XA: 109 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL)
Strain Y_A_: 163 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL)
Wild mice A: 104 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL)
Experiment 2
Population B, consisting of all three groups, was bred for several generations and given a diet very high in saturated and trans fats. No supplementation was given. Accumulation of LDL cholesterol occurred at the following rates:
Strain XB: 155 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL)
Strain Y_B_: 189 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL)
Wild mice B: 115 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL)
Experiment 3
Population C, consisting of all three groups, was bred for several generations and given a diet very high in saturated and trans fats. Supplementation of iodine, copper, and selenium (ICS) was administered regularly. Accumulation of LDL cholesterol occurred at the following rates:
Strain XC: 150 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL)
Strain Y_C_: 171 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL)
Wild mice C: 112 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL)
Experiment 4
Population D, consisting of all three groups, was bred for several generations and given a diet moderate in saturated and trans fats. Supplementation of iodine, copper, and selenium (ICS) was administered regularly. Accumulation of LDL cholesterol occurred at the following rates:
Strain XD: 100 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL)
Strain Y_D_: 153 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL)
Wild mice D: 98 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL)
It would be accurate to conclude from the four experiments that