DNA Barcoding: Solving Old and New Problems in Biology
A History of DNA Barcoding DNA Barcodes: The beginning Paul Hebert of the University of Guelph coined the term DNA barcode to mean a unique DNA sequence that identifies each living thing in the same way that the unique pattern of bars in a Universal Product Code (UPC) identifies each consumer product. DNA barcoding relies […]
HudsonAlpha: Resources for Teaching COVID-19
Meet HudsonAlpha’s Director of Educational Outreach Dr. Neil Lamb who’s working to separate fact from myth about COVID-19. The HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology is a global leader in biotechnology and genomic research. A large part of HudsonAlpha’s mission has been to educate the public about the practical applications of biotechnology and its impact on our […]
The Genome Age: Exploring Human Variation and Evolution
Allow students to use their own DNA differences (polymorphisms) to explore human variation, relatedness, and evolution. Why the mitochondrial genome? This experiment examines single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the nucleotide sequence of a portion of the mitochondrial (mt) chromosome. The mt chromosome is an oddity in the human genome. It retains several features of the […]
Investigating Phenomena: What Is Bioluminescence?
Carolina Phenomenon Phenomena-driven science! Phenomena are observable, naturally occurring events that are everywhere and spark student questions and investigations. Ask students to observe the DCI-linked phenomenon in the video and complete the attached student sheet prior to remote learning discussions. Observations: Carefully watch the bioluminescence video. Gather all the evidence you can from the video, […]
The Genome Age: The Challenge to Science Education
The genome frontier invites educators to involve students in biotechnology and the trove of data that is changing how we think about life. In his book Coming into the Country, John McPhee describes his experiences in that last great American frontier, the Alaskan wilderness of 1976. That time, just before the opening of Alaska’s oil […]
Carolina® Biotechnology at Shenandoah Valley Symposium
A Carolina Case Study FAST FACTS Interviewees Mr. Myron Blosser, Harrisonburg High School, Harrisonburg, Virginia Professor Ken Roth, Blue Ridge Community College, Flat Rock, North Carolina Professor Tim Bloss, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia Challenge Providing students with hands-on experience in biotechnology techniques while saving busy teachers precious time. Solution Carolina® Biotechnology Lab Kits Results […]
Biotechnology Equipment Buying Guide
Choosing the right biotechnology equipment can be a real challenge. Carolina will help find exactly the right equipment and provide all the support you need. Choosing the right biotechnology equipment for a particular lab exercise–or outfitting an entire laboratory–can be a real challenge. Fortunately, the staff here at Carolina understands the demands of science educators. […]
Bacteriophages in Human Disease
Friends and Foes Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria. They are a major agent of horizontal gene transfer between bacteria–a concept covered in AP® Biology and other biology classes. What students may not be aware of is the role bacteriophages play in human disease. Bacteriophages play a critical role in some human diseases You would […]
The Effects of Cell Cycle Deviation on Cancer Development
While multiple forms of cancer exist, ultimately all cancers involve a loss of control of the cell cycle and dramatic changes in the rate of cell division. Cancer is a genetic disease, but primarily an acquired one. Most mutations arise from DNA errors introduced during replication that subsequently go undetected and avoid repair. DNA damage […]
What Genomics Says about Being Human
The revolution in DNA sequencing has led to an explosion in genomics, adding remarkable depth to understanding of what it means to be human. Nucleotide sequences In the last decade, the cost of determining the nucleotide sequence of chromosomes has decreased by at least a thousandfold to about $1 per megabase (million base pairs). This […]