Skip to main content
HHMI BioInteractive
  • Español
  • Site Search
  • Log In/Create Account
  • BioInteractive Resources
  • Planning Tools
  • Professional Development
  • About Us

Activity for Got Lactase? The Co-evolution of Genes and Culture

Title screen of the film

Topic

  • Genetics
  • Gene Expression & Regulation
  • Anatomy & Physiology
  • Metabolism & Nutrition
  • Evolution
  • Natural Selection
  • Human Evolution

Resource Type

  • Activities
  • Film Activities

Level

High School — GeneralHigh School — AP/IBCollege
Saved By
30 Users
Share This

Description

This activity explores the content and research presented in the short film The Making of the Fittest: Got Lactase? The Co-evolution of Genes and Culture, which describes a case of recent human evolution influenced by cultural factors.

Babies can easily digest milk, the food especially provided for them by their mothers. Later in life, most of us lose this ability because we stop producing lactase, the enzyme that helps us digest the sugar in milk. But about one-third of adults worldwide continue to produce the enzyme, a phenomenon known as lactase persistence. This film explores the genetics behind lactase persistence and discusses research that traces the origin of this trait to less than 10,000 years ago. The origin of lactase persistence coincides with a cultural shift in human populations who began to use the milk of other mammals as food. Combining genetics, chemistry, and anthropology, this story provides a compelling example of the coevolution of human gene regulation and human culture. The “Student Handout” probes students’ understanding of the key concepts addressed in the film. The “Educator Materials” document provides suggested pause points in the film with questions for students, background information, and detailed discussion points; a list of related resources and references; and an answer key for the “Student Handout.”

The “Resource Google Folder” link directs to a Google Drive folder of resource documents in the Google Docs format. Not all downloadable documents for the resource may be available in this format. The Google Drive folder is set as “View Only”; to save a copy of a document in this folder to your Google Drive, open that document, then select File → “Make a copy.” These documents can be copied, modified, and distributed online following the Terms of Use listed in the “Details” section below, including crediting BioInteractive.

Student Learning Targets

  • Describe the genetic mechanisms of lactase persistence.
  • Use evidence to explain why lactase persistence is an example of human evolution.

Estimated Time

Two 50-minute class periods.

Key Terms

adaptation, gene expression, gene switch, lactase persistence, lactose, lactose intolerance, milk, pastoralist, transcription

Primary Literature

Callaway, Ewen. “Pottery shards put a date on Africa’s dairying.” Nature, 20 June 2012. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature.2012.10863.

Hollox, Edward. “Evolutionary genetics: Genetics of lactase persistence – fresh lessons in the history of milk drinking.” European Journal of Human Genetics 13, 3 (2005): 267–269. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejhg.5201297.

Terms of Use

The resource is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license. No rights are granted to use HHMI’s or BioInteractive’s names or logos independent from this Resource or in any derivative works.

Accessibility Level (WCAG compliance)

PDF files meet criteria.

Version History

Date Published 03.08.11
Date Updated 06.10.21

NGSS (2013)

HS-LS1-1, HS-LS3-1, HS-LS4-2, HS-LS4-4; SEP6

AP Biology (2019)

IST-2.A, IST-2.D, SYI-3.D, EVO-1.D, EVO-1.E, EVO-1.N; SP1, SP2

IB Biology (2016)

2.7, 5.2, 7.2

AP Environmental Science (2020)

Topic(s): 2.6, 3.8, 5.3
Learning Objectives & Practices: ERT-2.H, EIN-1.C, EIN-2.C, SP5

IB Environmental Systems and Societies (2017)

3.2

Vision and Change (2009)

CC1, CC2; DP1

Materials

Resource Google Folder (link)
Educator Materials (PDF) 2 MB
Student Handout (PDF) 440 KB
Illustrations from Educator Materials (PowerPoint) 1 MB

Use This Resource With

Video Resource
The Making of the Fittest: Got Lactase? The Co-evolution of Genes and Culture

Explore Related Content

Other Resources About Lactase

Showing of
Image from the interactive
Click & Learn
Recent Adaptations in Humans
Image from the interactive
Click & Learn
Regulation of the Lactase Gene
Portion of the main image
Data Points
Spread of a Lactase-Persistence Allele
Image from the activity
Case Studies
Lactase Persistence: Evidence for Selection
Image of a glass of milk with a smiley face superimposed
Animations
Natural Selection for Lactose Tolerance
Image from the activity
Labs & Demos
Milk: How Sweet Is It?
Image from the activity
Lessons
Pedigrees and the Inheritance of Lactose Intolerance
Photo of a cat being given a bowl of milk
Lessons
Lactose Intolerance: Fact or Fiction
Image from the activity
Lessons
Blood Glucose Data Analysis
Image of lactase cleaving sugars
Animations
Lactose Digestion in Infants
Photo of a cow drinking milk from a bottle
Short Films
The Making of the Fittest: Got Lactase? The Co-evolution of Genes and Culture
Screen shot of the quiz
Interactive Videos
Interactive Assessment for Got Lactase? The Co-evolution of Genes and Culture

Other Related Resources

Showing of
Photo of a cow drinking milk from a bottle
Short Films
The Making of the Fittest: Got Lactase? The Co-evolution of Genes and Culture
Screen shot of the quiz
Interactive Videos
Interactive Assessment for Got Lactase? The Co-evolution of Genes and Culture
Photo of a cat being given a bowl of milk
Lessons
Lactose Intolerance: Fact or Fiction
Image of a map of Africa from the film
Film Activities
Activity for The Biology of Skin Color
Three DNA strands with photos of people with different skin colors on each strand
Short Films
The Biology of Skin Color
Screen shot of the quiz
Interactive Videos
Interactive Assessment for The Biology of Skin Color
Image from the interactive
Click & Learn
Regulation of the Lactase Gene
Computer illustration of a fat cell
Animations
PPAR-gamma Activation in the Fat Cell
Image from the interactive
Click & Learn
Recent Adaptations in Humans
Portion of the main image
Data Points
Spread of a Lactase-Persistence Allele
HHMI BioInteractive
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Newsletter Signup
  • HHMI.org
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility