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Students will learn about some applications of various biotechnology advancements by reading a series of scenarios. They will evaluate some ethical, legal, and moral implications of biotechnology, including if or how it can be regulated by the government in this integrated lesson plan.

Type: Lesson Plan

 Learning objectives:  Students will learn what DNA fingerprinting is, what it is used for, and how it is used in paternity testing and forensics.  Students will see how this technique actually works in lab.  Students will learn how to analyze the gels used in this technique to match babies to parents, and crime scene evidence to suspects.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson plan details the ethical concepts of biotechnology and allows students to explore basic concepts of manipulating and analyzing DNA in a classroom setting. The lesson takes the students through a discussion of controversial topics related to molecular biology and biotechnology, DNA isolation, restriction digestion of DNA, gel electrophoresis, and DNA cloning.

Type: Lesson Plan

Dr. Mahmood Shivji explains how rapid genetic testing of shark tissue samples is used to address societal pressures on marine environments.

Download the CPALMS Perspectives video student note taking guide.

Type: Perspectives Video: Expert

Dr. David McNutt explains how large clonal plant populations can be analyzed with microsatellite analysis of their DNA.

Download the CPALMS Perspectives video student note taking guide.

Type: Perspectives Video: Expert

What's in a molecular biologist's toolbox? Very small tools for working with cellular machines and molecules!

Download the CPALMS Perspectives video student note taking guide.

Type: Perspectives Video: Expert

This informational text resource is intended to support reading in the content area. Would you want to eat "clone chops?" This article discusses the possibility of food products derived from cloned animals appearing on our plates in the future. Also included is a brief history of cloning and the methods by which it is executed. In addition, the ethical and health arguments surrounding this development are discussed.

Type: Text Resource

This informational text resource is intended to support reading in the content area. Scientists have been able to create a synthetic functioning chromosome (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) found in yeast. With this breakthrough, they might be able to create customizable bio-fuels, vaccines, or even synthetic organisms in the future.

Type: Text Resource

This tutorial will help you to understand the procedure of amplifying a single copy of DNA into millions of copies. Polymerase chain reaction is a molecular prototyping technique which helps in copying small segments of DNA into significant amounts required for molecular and genetic analyses.

Type: Tutorial

This tutorial introduces the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which is a technique used in molecular biology to make multiple copies of a gene even when only small amounts of DNA are available.

Type: Tutorial

• Background on tracking human ancestry using the alu marker
• Animation on polymerase chain reaction, PCR
• Interactive activity for performing PCR

Type: Video/Audio/Animation