Bioethics: Debates in Human Genetics

Civil rights meets biotechnology in a instructional activity that scrutinizes the collection of DNA of citizens who have been arrested, but not yet convicted of a crime. Real-life cases are examined in which the DNA of a relative was...

How might genetic testing impact and transform the nature of athletic sports? After reading a New York Times article on genetic testing for children to determine athletic ability, class members are broken into groups and take on the...

Adolescents have the opportunity to consider how they feel about the possibilities presented by the current availability of genetic sequencing. After some instruction, they participate in a four-corners activity in which you read a...

Does the human body evolve as quickly as human culture? With a stellar 15-minute video, explore the trait of lactose intolerance. Only about 1/3 of human adults seem to still have the enzyme lactase and therefore, the ability to digest...

Should genetic scientists be permitted to alter mtDNA to eliminate birth defects? That is the question examined in Rob Stein's article for NPR that explores the ethical issues raised by this research.

The highlight of this lesson plan is a 53-minute investigative video, Can Science Stop Crime?" The question asked is whether or not aggressive behavior is caused by genetic factors. The answer has to do with genetic complexity, the...

Disease prevention or designer babies? Use a set of slides to introduce the growing practice of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, or PGD. Teens read related articles and then break into groups to address different scenarios. Afterward,...

If you knew that you were likely to develop Alzheimer's disease in your future, how would it affect your life in the meantime? This and other similar thought-provoking questions are discussed in a lesson plan about the availability of...

Simplify the teaching of basic genetics with this engaging cross-curricular science experiment. Using different kinds candy to represent the genes for determining eye shape in humans, young geneticists test the accuracy of Punnett...

Designed to accompany the 13-minute video The Making of the Fittest: The Birth and Death of Genes, this handout serves as both a viewing guide during the video and an analysis of how the adaptations of the icefish might help treat some...