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.
In this activity, students interpret several pedigrees of autosomal dominant and recessive conditions and consider the benefits and limitations of genetic testing.
Getting students engaged in learning about the cell cycle can be difficult. In this Educator Voices article, educator Kathy Van Hoeck describes how she uses cancer as an anchoring phenomenon to spark student interest.
This activity guides the analysis of a published scientific figure from a study that explored inbreeding depression in a small, isolated population of wolves.
In this Educator Voices article, professor John Moore describes a "backwards" approach to teaching energy use in cells that traces the process from ATP in use back through glycolysis.
In this inquiry-based activity, students engage in science practices to figure out why some people with a genetic condition that usually leads to sickle cell disease do not have disease symptoms.
This activity guides the analysis of a published scientific figure from a study that investigated how human populations might adapt to milk consumption, both genetically and culturally.
Planarians can be used to investigate a variety of biological phenomena like animal behavior, mitosis, taxonomy, and more. In this article from professor Karen Avery, see how she uses this unassuming model organism to teach concepts in cellular biology and genetics.
In this article, see a learning sequence where students explore symbiotic relationships and cell communication in bacteria (quorum sensing) by connecting their prior knowledge regarding ocean ecosystems to their understanding of symbiotic relationships.