Have you ever been so tired you missed a major announcement? Eric Wieschaus woke to a call explaining he won the Nobel Prize, but he thought it was just a dream until Christiane Nusslein-Volhard, a co-winner, explained it to him later that day. Learn about their research and the research of Ed Lewis in understanding homeotic mutations. Scholars use an online interactive to dive into the research, the scientists, and the long-term implications.

Concepts

genes, body plans, mutation, embryology, nucleotides

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Explain why so many scientists use fruit flies for experiments
• Discuss the embryonic development of Drosophila as it compares to the development in mammals

Classroom Considerations

• Relies on prior knowledge of genes, mutations, nucleotides, and proteins

Pros

• Offers an applied problem-solving challenge to demonstrate understanding
• Includes links to further research and online activities to extend the lesson

Cons

• None

Common Core

SL.9-10.2 SL.11-12.2 RST.9-10.4 RST.11-12.4