Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Some DNA Does Not Encode Protein
Roy John Britten easily earned a PhD in nuclear physics—but he found painting with water colors too difficult. Young scientists learn about Britten's life, career, and research with an online interactive. They read a biography, view...
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
DNA Is Packaged in a Chromosome
Roger Kornberg, the oldest son of two biochemists, won the 2006 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Learn about Kornberg and his scientific research with an animation, videos, biography, and an applied problem-solving activity. A summary and...
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
DNA Responds to Signals from Outside the Cell
How do cells know when to replicate, transcribe, and stop? James E. Darnell, Jr. shifted from studying medicine to biochemistry and decided to address this mystery. Learn about his research, discoveries, and the impact on future medical...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Using DNA to Trace Human Migration
Can scientists trace all humans back to a small region in Africa? An intriguing lesson turns back time to reveal artifacts leading scientists to believe human life originated in Africa and dispersed from there.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Virochip DNA Microarray
Virochips detect and identify viruses at a higher rate than other tests. Show young scientists how Virochips work to identify existing viruses. They analyze results demonstrating mutations or the evolution of viruses and view videos...
Science Geek
Polymers
A pirate's favorite amino acid is Arrrrginine! Presentation begins with the difference between a monomer and a polymer. Then it applies that to carbohydrates and proteins and ends with DNA and plastics. Presentation is the last in a...
US National Library of Medicine
Genetic Traits in Harry Potter
Explore human genetics through the world of Harry Potter. A thorough lesson develops the introductory concepts of genetics using characters of the popular book series. Learners study topics from DNA and chromosomes to Punnett Squares and...
PBS
Genome 101: Life's Instruction Manual | UNC-TV Science
Crack open the mysteries inside a genome. Participants view an animated video describing the relationship between DNA, genes, proteins, chromosomes, and an organism's genome. A post-video instructional activity allows pupils to apply...
Concord Consortium
Modeling Transcription
Transcription makes copies of the instructions inside all living things. Scholars use the simulation to separate DNA and transcribe the RNA. They see a demonstration of the nucleotide pairings as well as the start and stop instructions.
Concord Consortium
Mutations
Are some mutations more damaging than others? An engaging simulation encourages scholars to alter DNA through insertion, deletion, and substitution. It then forms resulting amino acids—or not—and the resulting protein—or not—depending on...
DiscoverE
Building with Biology
Seeing is believing! Bring DNA to life for young biologists using a simple extraction lab. Individuals extract the DNA from wheat germ, then place it in a microcentrifuge tube for observation. They thread yarn or other material through...
Biology Junction
Protein Synthesis
Watson and Crick built the first model of DNA in the 1950s, and our understanding of DNA since then continues to grow exponentially. Scholars learn about protein synthesis by observing a presentation and completing a worksheet. Both walk...
Towson University
Case of the Crown Jewels
Can your biology class crack the Case of the Crown Jewels? Junior forensics experts try their hands at DNA restriction analysis in an exciting lab activity. The lesson introduces the concept of restriction analysis, teaches pipetting and...
Agriculture in the Classroom
Design 'Y'er Genes
How do changes in DNA affect an organism? Scholars explore chromosomes, genes, DNA, and mutations by modeling the DNA of a strawberry. They build a DNA model, then manipulate it to show how changing the genes transforms the strawberry...
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Mutations Are Changes in Genetic Information
A red delicious apple tree with a simple mutation means we now benefit from the existence of golden delicious apples. Learn how simple mutations change genetic information in DNA sequences. Using biographies, videos, and animations,...
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Some Types of Mutations Are Automatically Repaired
Does natural light damage or repair DNA? Learn the answer discover the scientists who researched the topic with an online interactive. Scholars read through an online animation presenting the content at their own pace. Then, they read...
Towson University
Chestnut Tree Lab
What will your class learn in a curious tale of a fungus, a virus, and a chestnut tree? Biology scholars discover the world of viral biocontrols through a DNA restriction lab. Groups research the decline of the American chestnut tree at...
Biology Junction
Nucleic Acids
Genetic information transfers through nucleic acids, making these the chemical link that connects people to their parents and grandparents. Viewers determine the importance of both DNA and RNA after observing the presentation. Key...
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Genes Can Be Moved Between Species
Biotechnology changes lives every day, but how did it all start? Learn about Cohen and Boyer's technique for recombinant DNA and the founding of this new scientific study. Then, scholars use the online interactive to discover how Hanahan...
Center for Technology in Teaching and Learning
CSI: The Experience - Family Forensics
Forensic scientists depend on their observation skills to analyze evidence down to the molecular level. Middle and high schoolers practice making observations and predictions with a series of crime scene activities, which includes a...
Towson University
The Wildlife Forensics Lab
Can science put an end to the poaching of endangered species? Show your young forensic experts how biotechnology can help save wildlife through an exciting electrophoresis lab. Grouped pupils analyze shark DNA to determine if it came...
American Museum of Natural History
What's the Big Idea About Genetics?
Here's a quick read on genetics. An engaging online resource provides six slides of information about genetics. Learners read about the meaning of genetics to information about DNA. They also learn about the study of genes and the...
K20 LEARN
More than Skin Deep
From crime to paternity, DNA fingerprinting has revolutionized how the world views inherited traits. Science sleuths investigate the facts about DNA profiling through a variety of activities. The Teacher's Guide includes printable...
Beyond Benign
Gelin’: Gel Electrophoresis Simulation
Take a look at a DNA fingerprint. Scholars run a gel electrophoresis simulation to examine the DNA of potential father cats in the eighth installment of an 18-part series. The lesson continues the series that explores DNA and its...