EVOLUTION VIDEOS

CLICK HERE to access the website with the evolution videos we saw in class.
1. Which video clip do you find the most interesting? why?
2. How does the picture relate to Natural Selection?
3. Why do characteristics that help an animal to live longer will become more common in the population?

COMPARATIVE EMBRYOLOGY: video clip from class

CLICK HERE to watch the video clip that shows the embryological development of four different species.
1. How can the study of the embryos help show the relationships among animals with backbones?
2. What do shared embryological developments indicate?
3. What part of the video clip did you find the most interesting? why?

HETEROTROPH HYPOTHESIS Video clip from class

CLICK HERE to watch the video that explains how the first organic compounds originated on the Early Earth.

ENDOSYMBIOTIC THEORY

Click here to access a website with very good and helpful information on the Endosymbiotic theory.
What do you think?

ENDOSYMBIOTIC THEORY

CLICK HERE to watch a narrated animation on the endosymbiotic theory. You can take a two question quiz after watching the animation. How did you do?
Look at the piucture on this post: What type of primitive eukaryote did the ancestral prokaryote in the diagram evolve into?

EXTRA CREDIT: GENETIC ENGINEERING

You can earn up to 5 points extra credit!!! How? Choose an article, interview, or podcast from the list below and write an essay/summary explaining how the article is related to the Living Environment curriculum. You should add your thoughts on how beneficial genetic engineering is to society. DUE Thursday 4/22/10.

1. A Baby, Plaese. Blond, Freckles--Hold the Colic. Source: The Wall Street Journal

2. With Genetic Gift, 2 Monkeys Are Viewing a More Colorful World. Source: NY Times.

3. Examining Gene Therapy As Treatment For Blindness, Source: INTERVIEW from Science Friday from NPR News.

4. Gene Therapy Helps Blind Children See. Source: Science Now. (Thanks Nina!)

5. Human Cloning May Be Just Around the Corner. Source: NPR News

6. Are Genetically Modified Foods Safe to Eat. Source: NPR News. This is an interview (podcast)

7. E. U Clears Biotech Potato for Cultivation. Source: NY Times.

8. Monsanto's GMO Corn Linked To Organ Failure, Study Reveals. Source: Huffington's Post.

9. New Rule Allows Use of Partial DNA Matches. Source: NY TImes

GENETIC ENGINEERING VIDEO from class

CLICK HERE to access the video on genetic engineering we watched in class.

GEL ELECTROPHORESIS

1. CLICK HERE to view an animation on gel electrophoresis.

2. CLICK HERE to conduct a gel electrophoresis virtual lab.

3. CLICK HERE to conduct a step by step gel electrophoresis virtual lab.
3.1 How did you do?

CLONING

1. CLICK HERE to CLONE A MOUSE.
1.1 Do you support cloning animals? Is it ethical? Why or why not?

2. CLICK HERE to learn more about cloning.

Click here to practice your selective breeding skills.
1. How can you create the largest crop?
2. Can you think of problems and risks associated to inbreeding?

NOTE: Nearly all domestic animals, including horses, cats, and farm animals (and most crop plants) have been produced by selective breeding. Selective breeding allows only those animals with the desired traits to produce the next generation.

RECOMBINANT DNA

1. CLICK HERE for an animation that shows how recombinant DNA (rDNA) is formed.
1.1 Why do we need a plasmid?
1.2 Can you think of ways recombinant DNA is used by geneticists?

2. CLICK HERE for a tutorial on Recombinant DNA.

3. This tutorial from the University of Delaware is a great step by step guide into how to create Recombinant DNA.
3.1 How is Recombiant DNA Technology important in medicine and agriculture?