Statistical Physics in Biology is a survey of problems at the interface of statistical physics and modern biology. Topics include: bioinformatic methods for extracting information content of DNA; gene finding, sequence comparison, and phylogenetic trees; physical interactions responsible for structure of biopolymers; DNA double helix, secondary structure of RNA, and elements of protein folding; considerations of force, motion, and packaging; protein motors, membranes. We also look at collective behavior of biological elements, cellular networks, neural networks, and evolution.

Explore stretching just a single strand of DNA using optical tweezers or fluid flow. Experiment with the forces involved and measure the relationship between the stretched DNA length and the force required to keep it stretched. Is DNA more like a rope or like a spring?

Explore stretching just a single strand of DNA using optical tweezers or fluid flow. Experiment with the forces involved and measure the relationship between the stretched DNA length and the force required to keep it stretched. Is DNA more like a rope or like a spring?

This site takes us into the world of structural biology -- a branch of molecular biology that focuses on the shape of nucleic acids and proteins (the molecules that do most of the work in our bodies). Learn about the structures and roles of proteins, tools used to study protein shapes, how proteins are used in designing new medications (for AIDS and arthritis), and what structural biology reveals about all life processes. Find out about careers in biomedical research.

Dr. Bolander recently retired from the University of South Carolina, where he taught biochemistry at both the graduate and undergraduate levels for decades. He accumulated considerable figures and notes and is making them available to others involved with teaching biochemistry or related courses.

These notes cover material with weaker coverage in standard biochemistry textbooks. This text is supplemental rather than primary.

In this activity, students will create a segment of DNA out of wire and play-doh.  Using a simple computer code, they will make their DNA talk by connecting a Makey Makey circuit board and hooking it up to a computer.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"COVID-19, caused by the enveloped RNA virus SARS-CoV-2, primarily affects the respiratory and gastrointestinal systems. Disease severity varies substantially across patients; the disease is mild or asymptomatic in some cases and causes respiratory failure or death in others. SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA has been detected in fecal samples, suggesting that the gastrointestinal tract may be a site of viral replication. To better understand the effect of SARS-CoV-2 on resident gut viruses (the “gut virome”), researchers examined blood samples and fecal specimens from 98 patients with COVID-19 and 78 healthy individuals. Using shotgun metagenomics, they found that patients with COVID-19 had decreased abundance of certain RNA viruses and DNA-based bacteriophages. In contrast, environment-derived eukaryotic DNA viruses were enriched in COVID-19 patients..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

How is it that all cells in our body have the same genes, yet cells in different tissues express different genes? A basic notion in biology that most high school students fail to conceptualize is the fact that all cells in the animal or human body contain the same DNA, yet different cells in different tissues express, on the one hand, a set of common genes, and on the other, express another set of genes that vary depending on the type of tissue and the stage of development. In this video lesson, the student will be reminded that genes in a cell/tissue are expressed when certain conditions in the nucleus are met. Interestingly, the system utilized by the cell to ensure tissue specific gene expression is rather simple. Among other factors - all discussed fully in the lesson - the cells make use of a tiny scaffold known as the “Nuclear Matrix or Nucleo-Skeleton”. This video lesson spans 20 minutes and provides 5 exercises for students to work out in groups and in consultation with their classroom teacher. The entire duration of the video demonstration and exercises should take about 45-50 minutes, or equivalent to one classroom session. There are no supplies needed for students’ participation in the provided exercises. They will only need their notebooks and pens. However, the teacher may wish to emulate the demonstrations used in the video lesson by the presenter and in this case simple material can be used as those used in the video. These include play dough, pencils, rubber bands (to construct the nuclear matrix model), a tennis ball and 2-3 Meters worth of shoe laces. The students should be aware of basic information about DNA folding in the nucleus, DNA replication, gene transcription, translation and protein synthesis.

DNA are instructions that code for the production of proteins. If the DNA are the instructions for the proteins, something must be wrong in the DNA for people with DMD.

Anchoring Phenomenon: Identical twins have the same DNA yet one was diagnosed with breast cancer and the other was not?? One about diabetes? Unit Essential Question: Why are some people diagnosed with diabetes and breast cancer while others are not?

In this seminar you will create a mental organization scheme to learn the central dogma theory in the steps of synthesizing proteins. Interactive games will help reinforce the process. You will model the process by creating coded (transcribing) secret messages and translating messages.StandardsBIO.B.2.2.1 Describe how the processes of transcription and translation are similar in all organisms.BIO.B.2.2.2 Describe the role of ribosomes, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, and the nucleus in the production of specific types of proteins.BIO.B.2.3.1 Describe how genetic mutations alter the DNA sequence and may or may not affect phenotype (e.g., silent, nonsense, frame-shift).

it would be ideal if students already have learned that DNA is the genetic material, and that DNA is made up of As, Ts, Gs, and Cs. It also would help if students already know that each human has two versions of every piece of DNA in their genome, one from mom and one from dad. The lesson will take about one class period, with roughly 30 minutes of footage and 30 minutes of activities.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Viruses are a critical component of biosphere and human ecosystems, directly influencing human health and disease and controlling the output of engineered ecosystems. Unfortunately for scientists studying them, most viral signals remain hidden in sequence datasets due to a lack of optimal identification tools. A new tool aims to make virus identification easier. VirSorter2 is a DNA and RNA virus identification tool that leverages genome-informed database advances to improve the accuracy and range of virus sequence detection. Compared with other tools, VirSorter2 performs more consistently with high accuracy across diverse viruses and minimized errors associated with atypical cellular sequences, including eukaryotic genomes and plasmids. VirSorter2 is also modular, allowing it to expand to newly discovered viruses through the design of new viral classifiers..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

Astronaut Kate Rubins became the first person to sequence DNA in space. She eventually sequenced over 2 billion base pairs of DNA during a series of experiments to analyze sequencing in microgravity.

Students use DNA profiling to determine who robbed a bank. After they learn how the FBI's Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) is used to match crime scene DNA with tissue sample DNA, students use CODIS principles and sample DNA fragments to determine which of three suspects matches evidence obtain at a crime location. They communicate their results as if they were biomedical engineers reporting to a police crime scene investigation.

This lesson introduces students to the concepts of evolution, specifically the evolution of humans. So often our students assume that humans are well adapted to our environments because we are in control of our evolutionary destiny. The goal is to change these types of misconceptions and get our students to link the concepts learned in their DNA, protein synthesis, and genetics units to their understanding of evolution. Students will also discover that humans are still evolving and learn about the traits that are more recent adaptations to our environment. The lesson is designed to take two one-hour class periods to complete. The activities will allow students to draw connections between environmental pressures and selected traits, both through data analysis and modeling. Most activities can be done without any special materials, although the Modeling Natural Selection activity needs either a tri-colored pasta, or tricolored beans, to be completed effectively.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"At first glance you would be hard-pressed to tell apart a Eurasian golden jackal from what has been thought to be an African golden jackal. Recent studies, however, suggest these geographically separate populations represent two distinct species. And one of them, it turns out, should be classified as a wolf. 19th century naturalists recorded and named many African mammalian species during their expeditions. Species descriptions were based on observations in the wild and on individuals collected and brought back to European natural history museums. These scientists were often over-zealous, naming more species than are currently recognized. But in the case of the African wolf, these early naturalists had it right. During the early part of the last century, golden jackals found in Eurasia and Africa were lumped into a single species due to similarities in their outward appearance, despite the fact that the early scientist had recognized the African form as a different, wolf-related species..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.