DNA Fingerprinting

Everyone loves a good mystery ... can your class actually solve one? Partnered pupils take on the role of forensic investigators during a three-part activity focusing on DNA evidence processing. Learners discover the methods used to...

What is in that double helix? Explain intricate concepts with a variety of creative activities in a instructional activity that incorporates multiple steps to cover DNA structure, nucleic acids, and proteins. Pupils explore the history...

Ever wonder how scientists determine how animals are related, or who is guilty of a crime? Discover gel electrophoresis in an easy-to-understand video from a fun biology playlist. Topics include how restriction enzymes create segments of...

Show your class why restrictions aren't always a bad thing. In the third segment of a four-part series, the instructor develops the idea of restriction enzymes. Pupils learn how scientists use restriction enzymes in DNA analysis and DNA...

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...

The chances of a DNA mismatch occurring in DNA fingerprinting is one in a billion. Here learners see how using the differences in people's DNA, specifically Short Tandem Repeats (STRs), cutting them out using restriction enzymes, and...

One of the first biotechnology breakthroughs occurred in 1982 with the creation of synthetic insulin. Young scientists learn about DNA technology with a presentation and accompanying worksheet. It focuses on DNA extraction and...

DNA is like the fingerprint of genetics. A quick lesson introduces the topic of DNA sequences with a mystery about an endangered species. The lesson shows how DNA extraction, replication, and sequencing often provide undeniable evidence...

Use food coloring in electrophoresis. The last segment in a four-part series mimics DNA fingerprinting by using chromatography. Teams conduct chromatography on food coloring to find colors that use similar pigmentation in their makeup.

Young scholars create a model of DNA and simulate replication with their models in an activity that uses licorice, colored marshmallows, and toothpicks. Students also label a diagram of replication and indicate major parts of the DNA...