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.
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 activity builds on information presented in the short film Genes as Medicine. Students interpret actual pedigrees to determine the inheritance pattern of Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA), an inherited form of blindness. They also examine protein sequence data to explore mutations that can cause LCA.
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 explores images of animals with a mutation that affects coloration, which serve as phenomena for learning about skin color genetics and evolution.
This activity explores the content and research presented in the short film Genes as Medicine, which tells the story of how scientists succeeded in developing a gene therapy for a type of congenital blindness.
This multipart activity is designed to give students a firm understanding of genetic profiling using short tandem repeats (STRs), which is a process used by forensics labs around the world.
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 extend the concepts covered in the short film The Biology of Skin Color through the application of models and mathematical thinking to explain how genomic variation and human ancestry can explain differences in skin color, a polygenic trait.