Group items matching

in title, tags, annotations or url

This directed case study follows the story of "Pauline," a 20-year-old college student who has just received results from a personal genetic testing kit she purchased online. The report shows a negative result for variants of the BRCA 1 and 2 genes, which are associated with a greater risk for breast cancer. Although Pauline has a family history of breast cancer, she concludes that she no longer needs to be concerned, or does she? As students work through the questions in this case study, they review the role of genes and how they code for proteins as well as the effects of proteins on health, especially on cellular growth regulation and cancer. They also learn about the process of genetic testing and consider the ramifications of positive and negative tests for diseases or health conditions, especially with respect to breast cancer. The case is designed for non-science majors in a scientific methods course and could also be used in an introductory biology course. The questions in the case could be adapted for an upper level genetics class.

Review of many examples of epigenetics and mechanisms. Discussion incorporates evolution.

Series of review handouts from Living Systems Regents course

Currently there is considerable confusion surrounding the use of the term "organic" as applied to food and other consumer products, but within the agriculture industry the term has a well-defined meaning related to the practices that are allowed in the production of a crop. This case study was written to inform students about organic agriculture and its implications with regard to food nutritional value as well as its costs.  The case is presented as a dilemma in the context of buying produce in the grocery store. Concepts presented include the difference between organic and conventional agricultural practices, the analysis of food to quantify nutrient levels, the history of the organic movement, and the economic and environmental impacts of organic agriculture. The activity was designed for use in a lower level general science course (with a cursory review of the scientific literature) or in an upper level chemistry course (with a thorough analysis of the literature).

This case study introduces students to the "Red Queen Hypothesis." The hypothesis states that when two species compete for a limited resource or exist in a predator-prey relationship, in order for the antagonists to remain in relative population equilibrium, there must be ongoing and reciprocal adaptation on each side. If one species fails to adapt, it may quickly face extinction. Students are introduced to the Red Queen Hypothesis through an excerpt from Lewis Carroll's novel, Through the Looking Glass, in which Alice meets the Red Queen. They then review experiments from the research literature to evaluate the validity of the hypothesis in extant populations.  Students culminate their learning by contrasting their knowledge of the Red Queen Hypothesis to Darwinian evolutionary theory based on a passage from On the Origin of Species.  Students then craft a letter to Darwin helping to explain his "wedge" theory, a notion he originally developed but removed from later iterations of his book due to a lack of experimental evidence. Originally developed for advanced high school biology students, the case also may be used in a college-level introductory course on evolutionary biology.

This case study centers on symbiotic relationships between insects and bacteria using Drosophila melanogaster, the common fruit fly, and the recently discovered bacterial species Sodalis praecaptivus. Until recently, the only known Sodalis species of bacteria were symbiotically associated with several different species of insects. However, free-living non-symbiont Sodalis species are being tested in several different insect species to determine if they can transition into symbiotic relationships. A pre-class assignment (see Supplemental Materials) directs students to read an open access research journal article providing a comprehensive review of S. praecaptivus and describing an experimental weevil model that parallels that of the fruit fly. A PowerPoint presentation shown in class (see Supplemental Materials) provides further background before students work in small groups to complete the case study focusing on results from D. melanogaster and S. praecaptivus model experiments.  Although developed for a genetics course, this interrupted case is appropriate for an upper-level biology course. It can be completed within a 75-minute class meeting, or adapted for shorter time periods.

In the broadest review on this topic that has been carried out to date, we found that, so far, 386 marine fish species are known to have ingested plastic debris, including 210 species that are commercially important. But findings of fish consuming plastic are on the rise. We speculate that this could be happening both because detection methods for microplastics are improving and because ocean plastic pollution continues to increase.

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.

A stride to understand the cancer and move towards its prevention, this time experts from around the world involved in searching the genome of cancer have analyzed the mutational signatures, the processes of mutation in the DNA of cells (which are always in the origin of cancer) and they follow a fixed pattern.

These 106 in-depth tutorials are designed to illustrate and explain some of the many complex topics in biology. Each tutorial has four elements: an introduction that describes the topic to be illustrated and puts it into a broader context, a detailed animation that clearly illustrates the topic (there are a few tutorials that include simulations or other types of content, rather than animations), a conclusion that summarizes what you should have learned from the animation, and a quiz on the topic covered.

List of activities, games, and lessons to prepare for exams

Free tools for teaching - printable worksheets, classroom printables and on-line worksheet templates with images from Tools for Educators. Use these free worksheets to print, game makers, and programs for teachers  to make and print teaching resources with pictures or classroom materials for kids. 

Since this time, research has focused on biological factors that may lead to autistic behaviours. This has found very clearly there is no one cause of autism. A variety of genetic factors are likely to be the ultimate cause of most cases of autism. These may work by themselves, or in combination with environmental factors, to lead a child's brain to develop differently and result in autistic behaviours.