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Sometimes, a genetic tweak can make a really big difference in an animal's appearance. That's what likely happened when the predecessors of modern snakes lost their legs, a process that started some 150 million years ago, two separate groups of scientists have discovered. Although the teams took very different approaches to solve the mystery of how those limbs vanished, both came up with similar results: Mutations in DNA located near a gene key to limb formation keep that gene from ever turning on, they report today.

28 min video on DNA, RNA, protein

7 minute video summarizing translation, cartoon style

college website

3minute animation

3 minute video

3:30 min video emphasizing key molecules

Website with array of games and resources 

Venom - information on protein structure and function, following scenario of a scorpion bite.  Interactive game and activities included on site.

3:40 video A dynamic, 3-D, computer-animated video that takes you "inside" for a close-up look at how we're made. Watch as the mysteries of the Human Genome are literally "unraveled."

University of Vermont site with information on numerous genetic topics

7:00 video: This film is the first of a two part series on the evolution of new genetic information. Here we focus on Point Mutations - the simplest natural mechanisms known to increase the genetic information of a population. Our second film of the series will focus on duplication events - natural mutations that increase the total amount of genetic information of an individual. This film was produced under the guidance of molecular biologist Dr. Nicholas Casewell. http://www.lstmed.ac.uk/about/people/... Point mutations are small, natural edits in the DNA code of an individual. These edits can be passed from parent to child. Because they are mere edits, point mutations usually do not increase the total amount of information in an individual. As new information is gained, old information is lost. Point mutations do, however, increase the total amount of information within a population. In this film you will see several examples of beneficial point mutations which have enhanced a creatures abilities or even given rise to entirely new abilities. The first two examples were directly observed in bacteria by scientists in the lab. The third is a case found in domestic dogs, the last example was discovered in several species of wild animal.

The collection of proteins within a cell determines its health and function. Proteins are responsible for nearly every task of cellular life, including cell shape and inner organization, product manufacture and waste cleanup, and routine maintenance. Proteins also receive signals from outside the cell and mobilize intracellular response. They are the workhorse macromolecules of the cell and are as diverse as the functions they serve.

This video teaches about protein synthesis.

This site has you covered, no matter what you teach. Each science subject is divided into major topics and resources are neatly categorized and numerous.

An international team led by Professor Itai YanaAi of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology Department of Biology made the discovery after using an extraordinarily powerful technique known as CEL-Seq. CEL-Seq monitors individual cells for their gene activity (as detected via mRNA)-and they applied it across 10 different species, with CEL-Seq being applied to 70 embryos per species. In particular, they were interested in whether the animal classification of phylum-which separates animals into groups according to their body plans-is actually a useful tool for placing animals into groups, as well as what genetic attributes are the same and different between the different phyla.

Why does a snake have 25 or more rows of ribs, whereas a mouse has only 13? The answer, according to a new study, may lie in "junk DNA," large chunks of an animal's genome that were once thought to be useless. The findings could help explain how dramatic changes in body shape have occurred over evolutionary history. Scientists began discovering junk DNA sequences in the 1960s. These stretches of the genome-also known as noncoding DNA-contain the same genetic alphabet found in genes, but they don't code for the proteins that make us who we are. As a result, many researchers long believed this mysterious genetic material was simply DNA debris accumulated over the course of evolution. But over the past couple decades, geneticists have discovered that this so-called junk is anything but. It has important functions, such as switching genes on and off and setting the timing for changes in gene activity. 

Series of review handouts from Living Systems Regents course

This directed case study examines the molecular basis of cystic fibrosis to emphasize the relationship between the genetic code stored in a DNA sequence and the encoded protein's structure and function. Cystic fibrosis is caused by mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) protein that functions to help maintain salt and water balance along the surface of the lung and gastrointestinal tract. This case introduces students to "Maggie," who has just been diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. The students must identify the mutation causing Maggie's disease by transcribing and translating a portion of the wildtype and mutated CFTR gene. Students then compare the three-dimensional structures of the resulting proteins to better understand the effect a single amino acid mutation can have on the overall shape of a protein. Students also review the concepts of tonicity and osmosis to examine how the defective CFTR protein leads to an increase in the viscosity of mucus in cystic fibrosis patients. This case was developed for use in an introductory college-level biology course but could also be adapted for use in an upper-level cell or molecular biology course.

This "clicker case" tells the story of "Hannah," a baby girl adopted by two loving parents who grows up with an uncontrolled appetite and develops severe early-onset obesity. Students follow Hannah's story as she develops excessive eating early in life, which her health care team is unable to explain. A visit to obesity specialists finally reveals the underlying cause of Hannah's obsession with food: extremely low levels of circulating leptin, a hormone that regulates appetite and body weight. It is further discovered that Hannah's leptin deficiency is due to a mutation in the LEP gene. As the story unfolds, students first work on unit conversions and BMI calculations to practice quantitative skills as well as graph and data interpretation skills. Students then apply their knowledge of DNA transcription, translation, and protein structure to answer questions based on figures from a 2019 study on LEP mutations. The case is best suited for high school and lower-level undergraduate biology courses.