Instructional video on how DNA binding proteins recognize their target sequences in DNA.
Although textbooks describe this process and show illustrations, it is difficult to grasp without seeing a live demonstration.
Created for Biology 41 General Genetics at Tufts University.
Instructional video on the formation of catenane after replication of circular bacterial chromosome.
Although textbooks describe this process and show illustrations, it is difficult to grasp without seeing a live demonstration.
Created for Biology 41 General Genetics at Tufts University.
Plant tissue cultures being grown at a USDA facility. USDA, Lance Cheung, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Did you have an idea for improving this content? We’d love your input.
Gene mutations occur naturally through the DNA replication process with some results being fatal and others being helpful. This lesson will explore the types of mutations that occur, the effect they have on DNA, and examples of diseases or conditions caused by the specific type of mutation. Students will participate in a gallery walk to learn more about the types of mutations.
Instructional video on molecular mechanism of homologous recombination in meiosis.
Although textbooks describe this process and show illustrations, it is difficult to grasp without seeing a live demonstration.
Created for Biology 41 General Genetics at Tufts University.
Final video in a series from 23andMe and Khan Academy that introduces human prehistory, this video describes how when people started crossing oceans, genetic and cultural differences between people from different continents began fading.
In this video segment from Nature, learn about six different breeds of cattle.
In this 7th grade science lesson, students identify desirable traits in plants and take cuttings from parent plants to facilitate asexual propagation and produce offspring with identical DNA.
Precise modification of faulty genes for repair has been one of the most important goals in medicine. It is now finally within the realm of possibility thanks to the gene editing tool CRISPR. This microbial adaptive immune system can copy and cut specific DNA sequences. This animation provides a visual introduction of this revolutionary genetic tool.
The Greenomes site is part of a laboratory- and Internet-based curriculum to bring college students up to the minute with modern plant research. Plant molecular genetic and genomic research still lags behind medically-oriented research on microbes and higher animals. As a result, there are relatively few lab experiences that expose college-level students to the growing insights into plants offered by genomic biology.
7.016 Introductory Biology provides an introduction to fundamental principles of biochemistry, molecular biology, and genetics for understanding the functions of living systems. Taught for the first time in Fall 2013, this course covers examples of the use of chemical biology and twenty-first-century molecular genetics in understanding human health and therapeutic intervention.
The MIT Biology Department Introductory Biology courses 7.012, 7.013, 7.014, 7.015, and 7.016 all cover the same core material, which includes the fundamental principles of biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology, and cell biology. Biological function at the molecular level is particularly emphasized and covers the structure and regulation of genes, as well as the structure and synthesis of proteins, how these molecules are integrated into cells, and how these cells are integrated into multicellular systems and organisms. In addition, each version of the subject has its own distinctive material.
This assignment uses a computer simulation of fruit fly genetics to have students design and interpret monohybrid crosses of a trait with simple dominant and recessive alleles. Detailed instructions with animated examples, background material, a sample report and a rubric are included.
The purpose of this lesson is to research artificial selection. During this lesson, we will use fast growing plant crossing to model traditional agricultural practices and we will use Punnett squares to predict plant crossing outcomes. We will also use online simulations to learn about current biotechnology techniques used to make genetically modified crops. We will compare traditional agriculture to current biotechnology techniques that are being used to create pest resistant crops. We will discuss how artificial selection such as selective breeding and genetic engineering can impact organisms over time.
In this problem-based, blended learning mondule, students will investigate what is the single - most defining trait that makes us human? Is it our highly developed speech, our imagination, creativity, or our upright walking posture? Humans have mastered fire, developed tools, art, music, recorded our history, and accomplished a countless number of other things. In this module, students will explore genetics concepts regarding inheritance, natural selection, biology of the human brain, and our hominid evolution over the last two hundred thousand years. Students will utilize guided research, and independent work to formulate an argumentative essay, and substantiating their claim with evidence from their research. When the argumentative essay is completed, students will create a project from a choice board that demonstrates their understanding of one of the concepts of our humanity.
Express yourself through your genes! See if you can generate and collect three types of protein, then move on to explore the factors that affect protein synthesis in a cell.
Three-minute video phenomena for the Kentucky Blue people. A great introduction to the passing of traits via sexual reproduction including Punnett squares and dominant and recessive traits.
This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:
"Genetic sequencing is faster and cheaper than ever. But are the latest techniques more reliable than traditional ones? Scientists at the Dasman Diabetes Institute and Kuwait University are investigating that question for one of the trickiest genetic diseases to diagnose: autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease. ADPKD is an inherited disease in which clusters of fluid-filled cysts accumulate in both kidneys, leading to increased kidney volume, impaired kidney functions, and, ultimately, kidney failure. In fact, ADPKD is the fourth leading cause of kidney failure, affecting one in every 800 to 1000 people worldwide. People with ADPKD may also develop cysts in the liver and other complications. The cause: mutations in genes PKD1 and PKD2. Genetic diagnosis allows doctors to detect the disease before symptoms even arise. The gold standard for doing so is Sanger sequencing. This technique sequences one DNA fragment at a time to detect mutations in the genome..."
The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.
This course covers current understanding of, and modern approaches to human disease, emphasizing the molecular and cellular basis of both genetic disease and cancer. Topics include: The Genetics of Simple and Complex Traits; Karyotypic Analysis and Positional Cloning; Genetic Diagnosis; The Roles of Oncogenes and Tumor Suppressors in Tumor Initiation, Progression, and Treatment; The Interaction between Genetics and Environment; Animal Models of Human Disease; Cancer; and Conventional and Gene Therapy Treatment Strategies.
This blog post on the Wisconsin Fast Plants website features the recently released Wisconsin Fast Plants genetics simulations, powered by ExploreLearning Gizmos. Sign up for a free account on the Gizmo website (https://www.explorelearning.com/index.cfm?method=Controller.dspFreeAccount) for free access to two simulations that were collaboratively developed by the teams at Explore Learning and the Wisconsin Fast Plants Program of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. These simulations replace those previously available on our website that were developed nearly two decades ago and no longer function on modern operating systems. Fast Plants Gizmos were created as a collaboration between ExploreLearning and the Wisconsin Fast Plants Program of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. They were designed to support many of the experiments that students can do using Fast Plants seeds and plants. By using these Gizmos in combination with firsthand experiences growing Fast Plants, students can compare simulated growth, development and reproduction with observations of living Fast Plants. In addition, the Gizmos genetic simulation makes it possible for students to gather data from a significantly larger plant population than is typically grown in classrooms. These Gizmos also stand alone, supporting topics both in plant life cycles and Mendelian genetics and can be used by any student. Simulation, Simulations, Genetics, Inheritance
Students perform an activity similar to the childhood “telephone” game in which each communication step represents a biological process related to the passage of DNA from one cell to another. This game tangibly illustrates how DNA mutations can happen over several cell generations and the effects the mutations can have on the proteins that cells need to produce. Next, students use the results from the “telephone” game (normal, substitution, deletion or insertion) to test how the mutation affects the survivability of an organism in the wild. Through simple enactments, students act as “predators” and “eat” (remove) the organism from the environment, demonstrating natural selection based on mutation.