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On June 14, 2013, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. opened the high-tech, high-intensity exhibition Genome: Unlocking Life's Code to celebrate the 10th anniversary of researchers producing the first complete human genome sequence - the genetic blueprint of the human body - in April 2003. The exhibition is a collaboration between the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) and the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) of the National Institutes of Health.

This comprehensive virtual tour allows visitors using a desktop computer (Windows, Mac, Linux) or a mobile device (iPhone, iPad, Android) to take a virtual, self-guided, room-by-room walking tour of the whole museum. You can even browse a list of past exhibits, which is included on the ground floor map (see upper right map buttons).

This comprehensive virtual tour allows visitors using a desktop computer (Windows, Mac, Linux) or a mobile device (iPhone, iPad, Android) to take a virtual, self-guided, room-by-room walking tour of the whole museum. You can even browse a list of past exhibits, which is included on the ground floor map (see upper right map buttons). 

CSI: Museum exhibit, games

Existing mouse models of lethal Ebola virus infection do not reproduce hallmark symptoms of Ebola hemorrhagic fever, neither delayed blood coagulation and disseminated intravascular coagulation, nor death from shock, thus restricting pathogenesis studies to non-human primates. Here we show that mice from the Collaborative Cross exhibit distinct disease phenotypes following mouse-adapted Ebola virus infection. Phenotypes range from complete resistance to lethal disease to severe hemorrhagic fever characterized by prolonged coagulation times and 100% mortality. Inflammatory signaling was associated with vascular permeability and endothelial activation, and resistance to lethal infection arose by induction of lymphocyte differentiation and cellular adhesion, likely mediated by the susceptibility allele Tek. These data indicate that genetic background determines susceptibility to Ebola hemorrhagic fever.

Scientists have genetically engineered monkeys so that they exhibit behaviors similar to autism, with a goal of testing potential therapies on the animals in hopes that their resemblance to humans will yield more answers about the disorder. The scientists found that the monkeys showed "very similar behaviors related to human autism patients, including repetitive behaviors, increased anxiety and, most importantly, defects in social interactions," said Zilong Qiu, a leader of the research at the Institute of Neuroscience at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Shanghai. The team is now imaging the brains of the monkeys, he said, "trying to identify the deficiency in the brain circuits that is responsible for the autism-like behavior."

 For my research project with the USHMM, I focused on the ethical and moral deficiencies exhibited and practiced by scientists, doctors, nurses, and anthropologists during the Holocaust. As part of that research, I also focused on the American Eugenics movement,and specifically what happened in North Carolina.       The website contains videos, testimonies, articles, timelines, and specific activities associated with the specific Nazi plans of euthanasia through extermination. There is also a site that deals specifically with American and NC eugenics.

View slides and interactive graphics from the Earth Lab: Degrees of Change exhibit at the Marian Koshland Science Museum of the National Academy of Sciences.

The dewlaps of Anolis lizards provide a classic example of a complex signaling system whose function and evolution is poorly understood. Dewlaps are flaps of skin beneath the chin that are extended and combined with head and body movements for visual signals and displays. They exhibit extensive morphological variation and are one of two cladistic features uniting anoles, yet little is known regarding their function and evolution.

Similar to humans who have obsessive compulsive disorder, dogs exhibit compulsive behaviors, in which they might repetitively spin around, chase their tail, bark, chew, or suck on a toy or a part of their body for an excessive amount of time. In the latest study from Tufts University, researchers identified genetic pathways that increase the severity of canine compulsive disorders in Doberman pinschers. This discovery may lead to the development of improved treatments and therapies for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) in people. 

Our bodies are home to approximately 100 trillion bacteria living inside us and on us-a vast community known as the microbiome. The Secret World Inside You explores the rapidly evolving science that is revealing the complexities of the human microbiome and reshaping our ideas about human health, offering new perspectives on common health problems including allergies, asthma, and obesity. 

Scientists and healthcare professionals initially exhibited little concern over the Zika virus even after evidence of human infection was first identified in 1952; Zika appeared to be both rare and unassociated with morbidity or mortality. Around 2015 all of this changed as journalists, scientists, public health officials, and laypeople scrambled to learn about its varied modes of transmission and devastating consequences (e.g., birth defects and autoimmune disorders). Although research continues to rapidly evolve, this case study directs students to reliable scientific sources (e.g., Centers for Disease Control and World Health Organization) that will likely continue to provide the most current information in order to explore questions such as: Where did the virus come from? How does it spread? What can we do to prevent it? Students will also consider the public health challenges and possible solutions associated with emerging infectious diseases. The case was originally written for an upper-level biology or public health course in which students already have some basic background knowledge regarding viruses, vaccines, and infectious disease.

The life science/biology course is divided into 12 instructional segments grouped into four sections. In the first section, From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes, students develop models of how molecules combine to build cells and organisms (IS1 [Structure and Function]; IS2 [Growth and Development of Organisms]; IS3 [Organization for Matter and Energy Flow in Organisms]). In the second section, Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics, students zoom out to the macroscopic scale to show how organisms interact (IS4 [Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems]; IS5 [Cycles of Matter and Energy Transfer in Ecosystems]; IS6 [Ecosystem Dynamics, Functioning, and Resilience]; IS7 [Social Interactions and Group Behavior]). Students return to the role that DNA plays in inheritance during the third section, Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits (IS8 [Inheritance of Traits]; IS9 [Variation of Traits]). The class ends tying together interactions at all these scales by explaining evolution and natural selection in Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity (IS10 [Evidence of Common Ancestry and Diversity]; IS11 [Natural Selection]; IS12 [Adaptation and Biodiversity]). A vignette in IS12 illustrates the level of three-dimensional understanding students are expected to exhibit as a capstone of the course.

From exhibit RACE, digital resources

Educational materials about genetics and genomics