Classroom Resources

This video follows scientists working in Gorongosa National Park as they try to determine the genes responsible for tusk development in elephants.

This film explores the evolutionary connection between an infectious disease, malaria, and a genetic condition, sickle cell disease.

In this activity, students interpret several pedigrees of autosomal dominant and recessive conditions and consider the benefits and limitations of genetic testing.

This activity guides the analysis of a published scientific figure from a study that explored inbreeding depression in a small, isolated population of wolves.

This video follows biologist Elinor Karlsson, who studies dogs to find genes associated with traits, including certain diseases.

This activity explores an image of tattoo ink particles inside cells, which serves as a phenomenon for learning about the structure and color of human skin.

This activity guides the analysis of a published scientific figure from a study that investigated genetic factors contributing to skin color differences, particularly within African populations.

This interactive module explores the biology of sex determination and development in humans, set against the backdrop of the different sex testing policies implemented throughout sports history.

In this activity, students explore how experimental work in zebrafish led to a better understanding of the role of the gene SLC24A5 in human skin color. The activity complements the film The Biology of Skin Color.

In this activity, students further explore the short film Popped Secret: The Mysterious Origin of Corn, by working through the mathematical concepts behind George Beadle’s claim that teosinte is the wild ancestor of maize.

A number of interactive questions are embedded within the short film The Biology of Skin Color, which explores the hypothesis that the variations in skin color in humans arose as adaptations to the intensity of ultraviolet radiation in different parts of the world.

Several questions are embedded within the short film Great Transitions: The Origin of Birds, which describes some of the most important fossil evidence showing that birds descended from dinosaurs.