Discovery School - 100 Greatest Discoveries - Genetics
1. Rules of Heredity (1850s) Austrian monk and botanist Gregor Mendel discovers how genetic information is passed down through generations. In experiments performed on pea plants, he notices that characteristics of a plant's offspring, such as height, exhibit recessive and dominant behavior. Mendel's findings are ridiculed during his lifetime and he dies never knowing that he would come to be known as the "father of genetics."
2. Genes Are Located on Chromosomes (1910 – 1920s)
The Juggler's Children: A Journey into Family, Legend and the Genes that Bind Us
Author explores the stunning power and ethical pitfalls of using genetic tests to answer questions of genealogy--by cracking the genome of her own family.
Is a loved one missing some body parts? Are blondes becoming extinct? Is everyone at your dinner table of the same species? Humans and chimpanzees differ in only 400 genes; is that why a chimp fetus resembles a human being? And should that worry us? There's a new genetic cure for drug addiction--is it worse than the disease?
Disney Educational - Bill Nye The Science Guy - Genes
In this episode of the popular series, students will have a chance to learn about genes, and how human traits are passed from generation to generation. Such physical characteristics as hair color, skin color, and whether hair is curly or straight are all dependent upon genetic background. The Science Guy compares genes to a blueprint, not for a building, but for a kid.