All in the Family

This video from the series Faces of America details the process of documenting family history and tracing lineage back through maternal and paternal lines.

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Alzheimer's Disease

This video segment from the Secret of Life School Video: "Genetic Medicine: Tinkering with Our Genes" explores the potential for gene therapy to cure diseases like Alzheimer's.

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Animal Cloning 101

Learn about clones and explore the methods scientists use to create clones in the lab in this interactive activity from the Dolan DNA Learning Center.

Build a Family Tree

Both sexes can use this interactive feature that lets you use DNA information from the Y chromosome to complete a male family tree. From the NOVA: "Lost Tribes of Israel" Web site.

Can We Slow Aging?

In this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, scientists discuss a family of genes called FOXO that can significantly extend life span in worms—and in humans.

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Chromosome Viewer

This interactive feature provides a microscopic view of the 24 Human chromosomes. Each chromosome is labeled with the names of some of the genetic conditions and traits associated with particular regions on that chromosome.

The Common Genetic Code

Paul Nurse describes his research that showed that humans share some genes with organisms as different from us as simple brewer's yeast. Footage from Secret of Life: "Immortal Thread."

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The Costs and Benefits of Treating Gene Defects

In this video excerpt from NOVA, find out how whole genome sequencing saved the life of Alexis, a fraternal twin who was originally diagnosed with cerebral palsy but, in fact, had an even rarer genetic condition.

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Create a DNA Fingerprint

Learn DNA profiling, the technique police use to catch the guilty and free the innocent. From NOVA: "The Killer's Trail" Web site.

Dab of DNA Helps Keep Counterfeiters at Bay

Find out in this USA Today article how DNA sequences can vouch for a souvenir's authenticity.

DNA Detective

In this video from QUEST, learn about the issues of ethics and responsibility that are associated with genetic testing.

DNA Evidence

This audio segment is a National Public Radio story on New York State's DNA profiling of criminals.

DNA Extraction

This interactive activity adapted from the University of Nebraska's Plant and Soil Sciences eLibrary illustrates how DNA, which is normally locked inside of cells, is extracted from living tissue.

DNA Fingerprint Photos

These photographs supplied by Genelex Corporation depict actual DNA fingerprints and show the types of information that can be gleaned from them.

DNA Fingerprints

Students learn how DNA fingerprinting has been used in criminal investigations and discuss the limitations of and problems with DNA testing.

DNA Libraries

This interactive resource adapted from the Dolan DNA Learning Center explores the different types of DNA libraries used to store and access genetic information.

DNA Makes History

Read how DNA was used to solve the mystery of the Romanov family's execution. From Human Genetics: Concepts and Applications by Ricki Lewis.

DNA on the Witness Stand

In this article, Dr. Eric Lander of the Human Genome Project comments on the use of DNA as an identification tool -- the theoretical versus the practical results.

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DNA Sequencing

This interactive activity adapted from the Dolan DNA Learning Center looks at two techniques used to sequence DNA: the Sanger method and an automated process based on the Sanger method.

DNA Workshop

How does DNA perform those all-important functions of replication and protein synthesis? This interactive feature from the A Science Odyssey Web site will help you explore and understand the secrets of DNA.

Double Immunity

Dr. Stephen O'Brien of the National Cancer Institute discovers a 700-year-old mutation that makes a person resistant to HIV infection. From Evolution: "Evolutionary Arms Race."

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Epigenetics

In this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, learn how what you eat, drink, or smoke may affect the instructions your epigenomes send to your genes, and as a result, change how your DNA is expressed.

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The Ethical Considerations of Personal Genomics

In this media-rich lesson, students explore some of the ethical, legal, and social issues related to personal genetic testing and genome sequencing.

Ethical Issues in the Human Genome Project

Students work in teams to analyze a case study that raises arguments for and against patenting genetic code. They explore the implications of DNA databases, genetic screening and gene modification.

The Ethics of Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis

In this video excerpt from NOVA, learn about the advantages, disadvantages, and ethical implications of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, or PGD, a technique used to screen embryos created through in vitro fertilization for diseases.

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Explore a Stretch of Code

Try your hand at reading a segment of genetic code in this interactive feature from the NOVA "Cracking the Code of Life" Web site.

The Expression of Genetic Information

In this media-rich lesson, students explore the preservation and expression of genetic information within the cell. They analyze a short DNA sequence, translate an RNA sequence, and relate a sequence difference to a particular trait.

Extracting Mummy DNA

This video segment adapted from NOVA explains how a DNA sample is taken from a 5,000-year-old mummy and what we can learn from it.

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A Family Disease

This video segment from NOVA: "Cracking the Code of Life" explores the implications of genetic testing for breast cancer.

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Finding Cures Is Hard

This video segment from NOVA: "Cracking the Code of Life" explains the difficulty of curing genetic diseases such as cystic fibrosis.

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Finding Disease Genes

This video segment from NOVA: "Cracking the Code of Life" explains the process of finding genes that cause disease.

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Forensic DNA Analysis

This video segment from NOVA: "The Killer's Trail" investigates the potential for DNA evidence to solve murder cases, even those from the distant past.

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Forensics

Find out how DNA profilers analyze bits of tissue to identify human remains. From NOVA: "Lost on Everest" Web site.

Freak-Genomics

In this lesson students will enter the world of the genome, learning about human history and evolution by using video segments from The Human Spark.

Frenetic Genetics

Students learn about the types of genetic information contained in the human genome – physical traits, behaviors, and propensity for diseases, in this video from Faces of America.

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From the Cystic Fibrosis Gene to a Drug

In this video excerpt from NOVA, find out how the discovery of a gene defect has led to the development of a new drug to treat patients with cystic fibrosis.

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Gene Cloning

This interactive activity adapted from the University of Nebraska's Library of Crop Technologies details the steps involved in producing clones of genes that can then be used to transform the characteristics of an organism.

Genetic Art

Take a peek at the artistic side of science in this virtual exhibit, featuring work by Eva Sutton, Alexis Rockman and Sidney Harris.

Genetic Drift and the Founder Effect

This image of polydactyly illustrates one symptom of Ellis-van Creveld syndrome, which is commonly found in the Amish. Ellis-van Creveld is one example of the founder effect and genetic drift.

Geneticist Pardis Sabeti

In this video profile adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, learn about geneticist and rock musician Pardis Sabeti, whose innovative insights into natural selection demonstrated how beneficial mutations spread quickly through a population.

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Genetic Modification

This video segment from NOVA: "Cracking the Code of Life" looks at the potential created by understanding the human genome.

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Genetics Case Studies

Wrestle with ethical issues concerning genetic rights and practices from the NOVA: "Cracking the Code of Life" Web site.

Genetics: Tour of the Basics

In this interactive activity from the University of Utah, identify different kinds of genetic traits and how they are passed on from generation to generation. View examples of simple and complex trait inheritance.

Genetic Testing

Students view case studies about genetic diseases. They learn about gene testing, family disease pedigrees, environment vs. genetics, and possible treatments.

Genetic Therapy and Breast Tumors

This video segment from the Secret of Life School Video: "On the Brink: Portraits of Modern Science" explores the genetics of breast cancer.

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Genetic Variation

This video segment from NOVA: "Cracking the Code of Life" explores the genetic similarities and differences among organisms.

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Genome Facts

This list from NOVA: "Cracking the Code of Life" Web site provides some of the basic, yet impressive, facts and figures about the Human Genome Project.

HIV Immunity

Although repeatedly exposed to HIV, Steve Crohn's blood cells were never infected. Dr. David Ho investigates in this video segment from NOVA: "Surviving AIDS."

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How Cells Divide: Mitosis vs. Meiosis

How exactly does meiosis mix and halve chromosomes? Find out through this feature from NOVA: "18 Ways to Make a Baby," which provides a step-by-step, side-by-side comparison of meiosis and mitosis.

How DNA Evidence Works

In this article by An Meeker-O'Connell, discover how DNA evidence is processed before it goes to court.

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How Genetic Disorders Are Inherited

Learn how genetic disorders are passed from parents to children as explained in this excerpt from Blazing a Genetic Trail, from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

How to Conquer a Genetic Disease

In Blazing a Genetic Trail, by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, follow this three-step approach to treating genetic diseases.

Human Chromosome 2

In this video segment adapted from NOVA: "Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial," learn how modern genetics and molecular biology offer compelling support for evolution. The video features an interview with biologist Ken Miller.

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Human Genome Project

This video segment from NOVA: "Cracking the Code of Life" looks at the meaning and significance of the effort to decode the human genome.

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The Human Genome Project

Students learn about the Human Genome Project: the process, the functions of sections of DNA code, how knowledge of the human genome is being applied to medicine, and about genetic variation.

I Dream of Genome

This lesson, based on the series Faces of America, explores the various types of genetic information contained in the human genome.

Inheritance of Genetic Disorders

Students learn how mutations in a gene can cause disease by simulating inheritance patterns and by researching disorders and presenting their findings.

Is Love in Our DNA?

Did evolution shape your taste in a mate? Take our interactive poll from Evolution.

Longevity Genes

What is the secret to a long life? Hear from scientists using biotechnology to analyze relationships between specific genes and longevity in this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW.

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Making an Agarose Gel

This video adapted from the University of Leicester demonstrates the step-by-step process of making and pouring an agarose gel, a key component in gel electrophoresis.

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Mendel's Laws of Genetic Inheritance

This interactive activity, adapted from the Dolan DNA Learning Center, uses Punnett squares to illustrate Mendel's laws of inheritance and how a particular gene combination results in a 3-to-1 ratio of dominant-to-recessive traits.

Microbe Clock

In this Evolution Web feature, learn how mutation and fast reproductive rates can allow deadly microbes to outpace medical breakthroughs.

Migration Sensations

This video segment from Faces of America details the process of human migration through haplogroups and shows the haplogroups of some of the series’ guests.

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Mouse Party

In this interactive activity from The University of Utah, examine the molecular mechanisms that affect the brains of mice on drugs. Learn how different drugs create different responses in the brain and alter the natural state of a mouse.

A Mutation Story

This video segment describes the role of the sickle cell gene in natural selection. Footage courtesy of the PBS series Secret of Life: "Accidents of Creation."

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Nature vs. Nurture Revisited

Which dictates our existence -- our genetic makeup or the environment we grow up in? Kevin Davies offers an update on this long-standing debate, from the NOVA: "Cracking the Code of Life" Web site.

The Nuts and Bolts of DNA Replication

In this animation from Secret of Life: "Immortal Thread," watch how DNA unzips and replicates under normal conditions, and how mistakes called mutations are incorporated into genes.

One Wrong Letter

This video segment from NOVA: "Cracking the Code of Life" describes the genetics of Tay-Sachs disease.

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Personal DNA Testing

In this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, take a behind-the-scenes look at the process of personal DNA testing, and hear more about the innovative Personal Genome Project.

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Picky Eaters

In this lesson from NOVA scienceNOW, students take a taste test as they explore the role of genetics in our sense of taste.

A Piece of the Pie

This video from the series Faces of America covers what DNA can tell us about our ethnic identities that regular genealogy might not.

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Polymerase Chain Reaction

This interactive activity adapted from the University of Nebraska's Library of Crop Technologies depicts steps in the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique and explains how it is used to efficiently copy sections of DNA for analysis.

Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis

This video segment from NOVA: "18 Ways to Make a Baby" describes a technique used to determine the health of a developing embryo.

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The Promise and Perils of Genetic Technologies

In this media-rich, self-paced lesson, students explore some of the technologies designed to detect and treat inherited diseases and the ethical debate surrounding them.

Ratty Old Genes

This video from The Human Spark explores the extraction and interpretation of Neanderthal DNA.

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Risky Genetics

In this lesson from NOVA scienceNOW, students explore genetic testing for specific diseases, and consider the pros and cons of discovering a person's genotype for a particular disease.

RNAi Discovered

In this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, learn how RNAi, a mechanism that has evolved in cells to prevent viral infection, was discovered and how it works.

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RNAi Explained

Using scientific animations and illustrated metaphors, this interactive activity from NOVA scienceNOW explains RNAi and how it works.

RNAi Therapy

In this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, learn about RNAi's potential to treat a wide range of genetic and infectious diseases.

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The Role of Genetics in Obesity

In this video segment from NOVA scienceNOW, meet researchers who are studying obesity and trying to understand the role that hormones and genetics can play in regulating appetite.

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Running an Agarose Gel

This video adapted from the University of Leicester provides step-by-step instructions for loading samples into an agarose gel and then running the gel to separate DNA molecules according to their size.

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Sequence for Yourself

How do researchers read the tiny As, Gs, Ts, and Cs that comprise DNA? This step-by-step explanation shows you. From NOVA: "Cracking the Code of Life."

The Sequencing Race Begins

This video segment from NOVA: "Cracking the Code of Life" looks at one of the key players in the race to decode the human genome.

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Should We Create Babies by Design?

Should we attempt to control our heredity? Take our poll, developed for the Evolution Web site.

Should We Screen for Cancer Genes?

In this video excerpt from NOVA, learn about the advantages, disadvantages, and ethical implications of screening for genes associated with diseases, including those linked to breast and ovarian cancers.

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Some Genes Are Dominant

This interactive activity, adapted from the Dolan DNA Learning Center, illustrates how Gregor Mendel used pure-bred yellow and green peas to show that some genes are dominant and others are recessive.

Talk of Life

Using the FOXP2 “language gene” as an example, this video from The Human Spark explores how similar genes evolve differently in different animals.

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Teaching Evolution Case Studies: Marilyn Havlik

Marilyn Havlik leads students through a simulation of the Hardy-Weinberg Principle to develop their understanding of population genetics.

Understanding Gene Testing

In this article by the National Cancer Institute and the National Center for Human Genome Research, find answers to your questions about genetic testing.

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Using Biotechnology to Detect and Treat Disease

In this media-rich lesson, students learn how biotechnology's techniques and tools are being used to help identify and fight disease, and examine the ethical and privacy issues associated with genetic testing.

Who Owns the Genome?

This video segment from NOVA: "Cracking the Code of Life" examines the social and ethical implications of genome research.

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