Watch how NJ high school students apply basic principles of molecular biology to solve real research problems, and publish their own genome research at GenBank, the international genomic sequence database.

Students are given a figure from a journal article of a northern blot, and are asked to interpret the results, demonstrating an understanding of both the northern blot technique and RNA processing in eukaryotic cells.

By examining the progress of a genetic eye disease, students learn about eyes, genetic disorders, and neurons in this case designed for clickers and large lecture sections.

An active problem-based assignment that uses the Genbank database to teach the basics of molecular biology and molecular evolution

An interactive lecture that uses flash animations showing the researcher and their experiments that were used to develop the basic concepts in Mendelian genetics. Includes multiple choice questions students can answer in class.

This module introduces students to the basics behind translation of a messenger RNA sequence into protein. In addition to text and movies, there are interactive shockwave animations that allow students to move ribosomes and tRNAs to perform translation.

All cells, organs and tissues of a living organism are built of molecules. Some of them are small, made from only a few atoms. There is, however, a special class of molecules that make up and play critical roles in living cells. These molecules can consist of many thousands to millions of atoms. They are referred to as macromolecules (or large biomolecules).

In this activity students examine karyotypes from five individuals to try to identify which chromosomes determine gender in humans. This activity is also a good illustration of meiotic non-disjunction.

In this investigation, students will design experiments and gather data to observe the factors that influence the activity of enzymes.

This lesson guides students to examine the potential benefits, risks, and ethical concerns of designer drugs. Students begin by reading an article titled Ethical Issues in Pharmacogenetics by Carol Isaacson Barash, an ActionBioscience.org original article. Next they will read information on the National Human Genome Research Institute on Pharmacogenetics: Frequently Asked Questions about Pharmacogenomics. Instructors can then use the lesson to guide students through shorter activities and/or one main activity. The smaller activities involve students in describing the research behind the issue, making it accessible to a less-informed audience, and in exploring the ethical issues outlined in the article to support various points of view. The larger activity is for upper level students to gather evidence to support particular perspectives so that they can present different views about the ownership of human DNA information.

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:

"In nerve cells, the waxy molecule ceramide plays roles in both cellular differentiation and death, but a new study shows those roles could vary based on how ceramide is formed. Ceramide is generated via 3 pathways: newly from palmitoyl-CoA and serine, from the breakdown of sphingomyelin, and through the endosomal salvage pathway. Experiments showed that blocking ceramide synthesis did not alter ceramide levels in PC12 cells, which require nerve growth factor (NGF) to survive and differentiate, but blocking synthesis did decrease ceramide levels in TrkA cells, which differentiate spontaneously. Blocking sphingomyelin breakdown, however, inhibited differentiation and reduced ceramide in both cell lines. Without NGF, PC12 cells begin to atrophy and die, and preventing sphingomyelin breakdown did not protect them, but it did suppress rising ceramide levels to some degree versus controls..."

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