This hands-on lab activity serves as an introduction to the film The Birth and Death of Genes. Students simulate and compare how blood pumps through the circulatory system of icefish and other fish.

The activity allows students to explore a key adaptation described in the film: the low  viscosity of icefish blood. By creating a model of icefish blood and exploring its properties, students are motivated to think about how blood viscosity might be important to survival in sub-zero temperatures. They then watch the film to learn more about the evolutionary process.