Classroom Resources

In this activity, students investigate the phenomenon of lactase persistence by making sense of a series of data sets.

In this phenomenon-driven activity, students investigate how cells are signaled to make melanin and explain how mutations in melanin pathway proteins affect the coat color of various organisms.

This video presents an intriguing phenomenon: two patients who carry the same genetic variation, which is known to cause sickle cell disease, have very different outcomes.

In this inquiry-based activity, students investigate the phenomenon of fur colors in rock pocket mice to connect genotypes to phenotypes and molecular genetics to evolution.

This interactive module explores how CRISPR-Cas9 technology works and the many ways in which scientists are using it in their research.

In this hands-on activity, students review the steps of eukaryotic gene expression and learn how this knowledge can be used to treat different genetic conditions. The activity reinforces concepts covered in the Click & Learn “Central Dogma and Genetic Medicine.”

This activity supports the film Popped Secret: The Mysterious Origin of Corn. Students analyze data on the expression of the tb1 gene to explain how variations in this gene played a role in the evolution of corn.

This interactive module uses the central dogma as a model for exploring how modern molecular biology technologies can be used to treat different genetic conditions.

This activity allows students to model how the anti-HIV drug AZT (azidothymidine) interferes with the process of viral replication.

This demonstration models how the HIV protease enzyme functions and how its activity is blocked by a class of anti-HIV drugs.

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.

A number of interactive questions are embedded within the short film The Making of the Fittest: Evolving Switches, Evolving Bodies, which illustrates how mutations in gene regulatory regions can result in the evolution of major anatomical features.