Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
RNA Was the First Genetic Molecule
Can organic molecules come from a pre-biotic environment? Stanley Lloyd Miller proved it is possible when exactly the right conditions exist. Learn about his experiment and the other experiments later building off of it that changed the...
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
DNA Is Only the Beginning for Understanding the Human Genome
Mario Capecchi requested funding for a new procedure targeting genes and was rejected. Four years later, after he proved it worked, the NIH apologized and funded his research. Use an online interactive to learn about his research and the...
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Genetic Inheritance Follows Rules
Rules are not meant to be broken in genetics. Scholars learn to build Punnett squares to track the inheritance of dominant and recessive traits in an interactive animation activity. Online questions help individuals reflect on their...
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Genes Don't Blend
Yellow and blue make green—unless you're studying the inheritance of genetic traits. An interactive lesson explains the difference between blended traits and pure traits and gives examples of their occurrence. The resource includes a...
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Genes Come in Pairs
Mendel was the first to look at individual traits within a species. Step in his shoes as an interactive lesson takes users through his journey. An animation describes the design of his experiments and how he isolated individual traits to...
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Children Resemble Their Parents
Gregor Mendel's work revolutionized agriculture from an art to a science. Explore Mendel's work with an interactive lesson that includes animations, video, and practice problems. The instruction describes the early discoveries that...
Open Oregon Educational Resources
General Biology II: Survey of Molecular Life and Genetics (Mt. Hood Community College Biology 102)
What could be more real life than a biology course? Mt. Hood Community College offers a complete biology textbook with an emphasis on genetics. Topics range from DNA replication to biotechnology and inheritance patterns.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Using Genetic Crosses to Analyze a Stickleback Trait
Two fish appear different, but how do scientists determine their genotypes? Scholars practice performing test crosses to determine the genotypes of fish given their phenotypes. They answer in-depth comprehension questions and complete...
Serendip
Should States Repeal Their Laws Banning First Cousin Marriage?
Around half of the states in the US ban first cousin marriage, but does science support that ban? Scholars work through genetic analysis of the risks to understand if more states should ban the practice—or if some should remove it. They...
Serendip
Soap Opera Genetics – Genetics to Resolve Family Arguments
Did she cheat on her husband? Did the hospital switch the babies? Should they have children? As much as this sounds like the plot for a soap opera, all of these questions fit into a single lesson on genetics. Scholars read about three...
Biology Junction
Population Genetics
Genetic variation shows the health of a population, yet cheetahs show very little variation over that last 10,000 years. Scholars learn the importance of genetic variation in populations after viewing an informative presentation. It...
Biology Junction
Genetic Problems
In a world of DNA testing popularity, understanding how to solve basic genetic problems allows scholars to better understand and interpret test results. They work through many different types of genetic problems using statistics, Punnett...
Serendip
DNA
Get up close and personal with DNA! A two-part hands-on activity has learners extract DNA from a small organism and then their own cheek cells. Scholars then explore DNA replication using questions to guide their analyses.
Serendip
Molecular Biology Vocabulary Review Game
Getting bored with the typical review strategies? Why not turn it into a game! Learners practice their DNA vocabulary by trying to get their partner to guess the word they're describing. To complicate things a bit, there are words that...
Serendip
Genetics Review Jeopardy Game
Why not add a little excitement to review day? Play genetic Jeopardy to quiz your classes before they take the assessment. The resource provides a game board in PowerPoint with questions related to meiosis and prediction of traits.
Serendip
Genetics Vocabulary Review Game
Taboo, anyone?! A vocabulary review lesson asks learners to give their partners clues to help them guess the target word. The catch? There are words that are taboo. If they use the prohibited words, they don't get credit if partners...
Serendip
Learning about Genetic Disorders
Each genetic disorder has its own story to tell. A research-based lesson asks individuals to investigate a genetic disorder using scientific web resources. Guiding questions ask them to explain the mode of inheritance and the effects of...
Kenan Fellows
Unit 4: Bioethics and the Future of Biotechnology
What's the future of biotechnology? Explore a hot topic in the fourth and final unit in a series of Biotechnology lessons. Learners develop an understanding of the many issues in bioethics, then create an argument for or against the role...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Genetic Switches
Is it reasonable for us to alter genes in plants to make them more nutritious and better tasting? Is it reasonable for us to alter genes to make babies smarter or better looking? The human genome contains millions of gene switches for...
Kenan Fellows
Unit 2: DNA Analysis
Ever wonder how they solve those mysterious murders in TV crime dramas? The second of four units in a Biotechnology series introduces scholars to the many methods of DNA analysis. Pupils create and run their own gel electrophoresis...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
How to Analyze DNA Microarray Data
Unravel the complexities of DNA research. Analyzing DNA data can be a daunting, time-consuming task; however, as the lesson explains, an interactive importance of the research outweighs its complexities. The presentation breaks down the...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Structure and Function of Telomeres
Curing cancer or finding the fountain of youth—the answer may be understanding the structure and function of telomeres. The relationship of telomeres to both aging and cancer have triggered aggressive research. A thorough lesson...
Kenan Fellows
A Farmer’s Challenge to Breed to the Greatest of Grapes
What does your class know about GMOs? Are they savvy to selective breeding? Challenge young minds to engineer the greatest crop of all time using a hands-on genetics unit. Learners discover the good and bad details of selective breeding,...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
RNA Diversity
Messenger RNA, transfer RNA, and ribozymes ... the many faces of RNA. The structure of RNA makes it much more versatile than the very similar DNA. Learners view a slideshow presentation to learn all about the different forms and...