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Assembly of Amazing Adaptations
To survive, creatures need to be able to sense many aspects of their environment, including food options. Scientists have recently discovered that the northern sea robin, an oceanic fish, has legs used for walking and also for tasting, to find buried meals. Begin a unit on natural selection/evolution by reviewing what these terms mean. Then, provide example organisms to explore their different types of adaptations (structural, physiological and behavioral). Finally, have students create their own species with adaptations specific to unique human- or natural disaster-influenced habitats.
Pairing up to create proteins
Scientists studied ancient woolly mammoth DNA that had been freeze-dried in place, preserving it and retaining its shape. The researchers adapted a technique for studying the structures of chromosomes within a nucleus to determine which genes were turned on and off in the mammoth genome. In this activity, students will review what happens when genes are turned on by completing exercises that illustrate hypothetical DNA base pairing and simplified examples of transcription and translation.
Turning genes on and off
Scientists have been able to study genetic activity in an ancient woolly mammoth’s DNA, thanks to a new method. Learn about the research study and the preservation of the DNA while thinking through the implications of having certain genes turned on or off.
Designing GMO Campaigns
Humans have modified organisms for millennia through selective breeding and other techniques. But only in the past few decades have people gained the ability to directly alter organisms’ DNA to create Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). GMOs can help advance fields such as medicine and agriculture. In this activity, students will learn more about GMOs and their uses before creating an awareness campaign to address GMO misconceptions.
The genetics puzzle
Scientists are still chipping away at the challenge of completing the puzzle of human genetics. Draw diagrams of DNA, chromosomes, genes and other genetics terms to review their relationships before piecing together the new findings of recent studies that fully sequenced Y chromosomes for the first time.
Fluorescing frogs
Light up your class with examples of fluorescence, including recently found biofluorescence in many frog species. Learn about the discovery of fluorescing frogs, discuss the potential evolutionary advantages of fluorescence, answer questions about the chemistry behind fluorescence and perform a demonstration of fluorescence from common objects.
- Exercise type:Activity
- Topic:Health & Medicine
- Category:Coronavirus
- Category:Data Analysis
- Category:Diversity in STEM
A fair shot
Students will analyze a graph to identify inequities in COVID-19 vaccine access among nations based on wealth, discuss how affluence affects access to and distribution of vaccines as well as how disparities in vaccine distribution affect global pandemic recovery. Students will then work in groups to research COVID-19 vaccine access and distribution in their state or local area, identify potential inequities in vaccine access and distribution and construct a graph of their own.
Global problem solving gets personal
Students will think about how communities connect on local and global scales through the lens of COVID-19 vaccine distribution and consider why global collaboration in STEM is crucial for solving some large-scale issues.
Counting on COVID-19 vaccines
Students will answer questions about the online Science News article “Global inequity in COVID-19 vaccination is more than a moral problem,” which explores the scientific and economic impacts of the failure to fairly distribute vaccines globally. A version of the story, “Vaccine inequity will prolong pandemic,” appears in the March 27, 2021 issue of Science News.
Collaborating to stop an epidemic
Students will imagine that they are officers at the World Health Organization and will work in groups to develop action plans to prevent the spread of a new virus, such as coronavirus.
The path from outbreak to pandemic
Students will explore the definitions of outbreak, epidemic and pandemic and research how an outbreak becomes an epidemic or pandemic.
Cats and Punnett squares
Scientists would like to breed cats that don’t trigger allergies in people. By constructing and analyzing a Punnett square for two low-allergen cats, students will review key concepts including patterns and probabilities of inheritance, genotype, phenotype, genes, alleles, chromosomes and mutations.