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Its accuracy has made DNA evidence virtually unassailable. A landmark report published by the National Research Council in 2009 dismissed most forensics as unproven folk-wisdom but singled out DNA as the one forensic science worthy of the name. Yet in recent years Hampikian and other geneticists have begun to question the technology. Thanks to a series of advances-including the polymerase chain reaction, which can multiply tiny amounts of DNA-it's now possible to detect DNA at levels hundreds or even thousands of times lower than when DNA fingerprinting was developed in the 1980s. Investigators can even collect "touch DNA" from fingerprints on, say, a glass or a doorknob. A mere 25 or 30 cells will sometimes suffice. This heightened sensitivity can easily create false positives

Before the discovery of insulin in 1921, being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes was a death sentence. Despite the successful management of diabetes with purified animal insulin, potentially severe side effects were abundant, and alternative ways to produce insulin were needed. This case study guides students through the history of using insulin to treat diabetes, focusing on the development of recombinant DNA technology and the world's first bioengineered drug, recombinant human insulin, which is now used worldwide to treat diabetes. Through the course of this case, students consider the central dogma of molecular biology, the development of recombinant DNA technology, drug design, the importance of recombinant proteins to our society, and the ethical analysis and debates that occur as a result of some scientific discoveries. This case was developed as an introduction to an upper-division biotechnology course focusing on recombinant protein design and production, but could also be used in molecular biology, biochemistry, or introductory biology courses to highlight recombinant DNA and biotechnology.

DNA is an interactive Web site where students can learn about DNA and its structure and function, the scientific history of its discovery and its development into a powerful tool in biology, technology, and medicine, and about the Human Genome Project, genetic engineering, and some of the implications and ethical issues surrounding genetic technology.

Explore electrophoresis with The Amoeba Sisters! This biotechnology video introduces gel electrophoresis and how it functions to separate molecules by size. Restriction enzymes, DNA ladders, and DNA fingerprinting briefly introduced.

Recombinant DNA technology for  human insulin AAT for emphysema GMOs for commercial value or simulate human conditions in animal models.

Over the last decade, as DNA-sequencing technology has grown ever faster and cheaper, our understanding of the human genome has increased accordingly. Yet scientists have until recently remained largely ham-fisted when they've tried to directly modify genes in a living cell. Take sickle-cell anemia, for example. A debilitating and often deadly disease, it is caused by a mutation in just one of a patient's three billion DNA base pairs. Even though this genetic error is simple and well studied, researchers are helpless to correct it and halt its devastating effects.

2:30 video introducing recombinant DNA 

Geneticist Jennifer Doudna co-invented a groundbreaking new technology for editing genes, called CRISPR-Cas9. The tool allows scientists to make precise edits to DNA strands, which could lead to treatments for genetic diseases … but could also be used to create so-called "designer babies." Doudna reviews how CRISPR-Cas9 works - and asks the scientific community to pause and discuss the ethics of this new tool.

In 3 minutes, this video tells the pertinent story of how recombinant DNA technology was used to produce human -- or synthetic -- insulin in large amounts and how it became the first biotechnology treatment approved by the FDA.

or more than a decade scientists have been saying that a genomic revolution will transform medicine, making it possible to scan all of a person's DNA to predict risk and customize medical care. Well, we've got the machines. Where's the revolution? Getting closer, say researchers at Stanford University, who tested the technology on 12 people. But not quite ready for every doctor's office.

Your genome, every human's genome, consists of a unique DNA sequence of A's, T's, C's and G's that tell your cells how to operate. Thanks to technological advances, scientists are now able to know the sequence of letters that makes up an individual genome relatively quickly and inexpensively. Mark J. Kiel takes an in-depth look at the science behind the sequence.

article summarizing transgenic and recombinant organisms

Your genome, every human's genome, consists of a unique DNA sequence of A's, T's, C's and G's that tell your cells how to operate. Thanks to technological advances, scientists are now able to know the sequence of letters that makes up an individual genome relatively quickly and inexpensively. Mark J. Kiel takes an in-depth look at the science behind the sequence.

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Séguin, a research scientist in forest genomics with the Canadian Forest Service, inserted bacterial DNA into spruces that effectively made them immune to spruce budworm, a pest that can chew needles off tens of millions of hectares of trees in a single outbreak. While there is controversy over genetic engineering, some scientists say it could also help fight climate change by creating trees that grow bigger, faster, resist disease and can even turn carbon into a stable white powder that falls to the ground - in other words, trees that would be better at pulling carbon from the atmosphere.

The 1000 Genomes Project is an international collaboration to produce an extensive public catalog of human genetic variation, including SNPs and structural variants, and their haplotype contexts. This resource will support genome-wide association studies and other medical research studies. The genomes of about 2500 unidentified people from about 25 populations around the world will be sequenced using next-generation sequencing technologies. The results of the study will be freely and publicly accessible to researchers worldwide. Further information about the project is available in the About tab. Information about downloading, browsing or using the 1000 Genomes data is available in the Data tab.

Reference site for International Baccalaureate (IB) Biology course.