This fun Web site is part of OLogy, where kids can collect virtual trading cards and create projects with them. Here, they see how DNA is used to solve crimes against animals. The activity starts with an introduction to George Amato, an AMNH scientist who sometimes helps the U.S. government solve mysteries. In a three-part online slide show, students see how Amato earned the title "DNA Detective" in 1993 when he helped the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service catch someone trying to sneak protected reptile skin into the United States. Then students are challenged to Crack the Code, an online game in which they play DNA detective and determine which of a collection of handbags, clothing, figurines, and other items are made from protected species.

The lethal poison Ricin (best known as a weapon of bioterrorism), Diphtheria toxin (the causative agent of a highly contagious bacterial disease), and the widely used antibiotic tetracycline have one thing in common: They specifically target the cell's translational apparatus and disrupt protein synthesis. In this course, we will explore the mechanisms of action of toxins and antibiotics, their roles in everyday medicine, and the emergence and spread of drug resistance. We will also discuss the identification of new drug targets and how we can manipulate the protein synthesis machinery to provide powerful tools for protein engineering and potential new treatments for patients with devastating diseases, such as cystic fibrosis and muscular dystrophy. This course is one of many Advanced Undergraduate Seminars offered by the Biology Department at MIT. These seminars are tailored for students with an interest in using primary research literature to discuss and learn about current biological research in a highly interactive setting. Many instructors of the Advanced Undergraduate Seminars are postdoctoral scientists with a strong interest in teaching.

This simple OLogy experiment provides insight into genetics by allowing kids to see and hold real DNA. The activity begins with an explanation about how the Moon, itself, doesn't really change, just our view of it. Then kids go to "See the Moon in Action," an interactive illustration of the Moon's orbit around the Earth, where they can see what the Moon looks like from Earth at eight different positions in its orbit. The activity ends with a Moon Watch Log, a printable PDF file, that kids use to observe the Moon for 28 nights and then compile their illustrations into a flip book.

Since the discovery of the structure of the DNA double helix in 1953 by Watson and Crick, the information on detailed molecular structures of DNA and RNA, namely, the foundation of genetic material, has expanded rapidly. This discovery is the beginning of the "Big Bang" of molecular biology and biotechnology. In this seminar, students discuss, from a historical perspective and current developments, the importance of pursuing the detailed structural basis of genetic materials.

This online article, from the museum's Musings newsletter for educators, provides insight into teaching genetics and building genetic literacy. It looks at ways that teachers can: build their own knowledge base stay abreast of the wave of new information about genetics give their students the tools and techniques to make their way in the genomic age.

This online article, from the museum's Musings newsletter for educators, looks at the fully functional Genetics Laboratory that was part of the exhibition The Genomic Revolution. It discusses: the significance of the recent sequencing of the human genome in a historical perspective the process visitors underwent during their hour-and-a-half visit to the lab, where they extracted, isolated, visualized, and sequenced their DNA the follow-up activities for visitors on the AMNH Web site.

In this online article, from the Museum's Musings newsletter for educators, two participants in the Genomics Study Group share their strategies for teaching genetics to high school students. They include tips on: where to begin, including teacher preparation and good content starting points how to use genetics labs when they are available, and alternate approaches when they're not ways to use case studies and topics in the news to increase students' interest guidelines for handling bioethics in the classroom.

This Web site, created to complement the museum's The Genomic Revolution exhibition, examines the mapping of the genome and its implications.

The OLogy activity takes a look at some of the more amusing traits that are determined by genetics. Students answer four yes/no questions, and then compare their answers with others. The questions are: Do you have a hitchhiker's thumb?Can you curl your tongue? Can you wiggle your ears? Can you raise just one of your eyebrows?

The Lives of Cells Student Edition book is one of ten volumes making up the Human Biology curriculum, an interdisciplinary and inquiry-based approach to the study of life science.

This online article is from the Museum's Seminars on Science, a series of distance-learning courses designed to help educators meet the new national science standards. Scenario: Immortality, part of the Genetics, Genomics, Genethics seminar, briefly covers: the age-old quest for eternal life and youth; the recent discovery of telomeres and telomerase; how this discovery could revolutionize the way we treat disease and aging; the ethical and ecological issues that could arise.

By building their own DNA model in this OLogy activity, kids learn about the unique genetic code that's found in every cell of their bodies. The activity begins with a brief look at how all living things are made of cells, and what that makes them unique is DNA. Then, using toothpicks, colored paper, and other common supplies, students create a 3-D model of DNA and "do the DNA twist" to make it look like a double spiral. Interspersed throughout the activity are kid-friendly descriptions of the discovery of DNA and where it's found. The experiment ends with additional challenges for students, such as making a DNA mobile with pipe cleaners or some other flexible material.

A molecular approach to biology must develop in students an understanding of molecules, their interactions and the consequences of these interactions. Biological phenomenon now more than ever rely on chemical and physical principles for molecular explanations of the phenomenon. We have selected 10 physical-chemical principles that underlie many biological processes: we call them "Molecular Stepping Stones." Below are links to entry level model-based activities for the Stepping Stones.

"Ryan loves to eat black licorice. He would gladly share it with his friend, but she thinks it's gross." Nature? Or nature and nurture? "Whenever you look at Frieda and her son Filippo, you can tell they're related. Both have a hairline called a 'widow's peak.' Nature? Or nature and nurture?" Kids connect to genetics through the comics-style pictures and everyday park scenes in this game. By collecting the green stars from each genetics question, kids can solve the genetic riddle.

This fun Web site is part of OLogy, where kids can collect virtual trading cards and create projects with them. Here, they learn about the human genome project by clicking through an online slide show, hosted by kids, that answers these questions: What's a genome, anyway?What is the human genome project? What does it mean to me?

The OLogy activity offers an interesting twist on the study of DNA. Students use colored beads (or gumdrops) to create a bracelet that's based on a section of DNA code. The two strands of the bracelet are then twisted together into a double helix. They can choose to recreate DNA code from a list of favorite plants and animals that includes a monarch butterfly, a chimpanzee, a sunflower, and a brown trout. The activity includes illustrated step-by-step directions.

This OLogy activity tests kid's knowledge about DNA, genes, cloning, and more with an interactive quiz. The 10-question multiple-choice test covers a wide range of topics, from "What is junk DNA?" to "What is one thing that makes one identical twin different from his or her other twin?" After making their 10 selections, kids can check their answers with a page that shows them how they did on each question and offers explanations of the right answers.

This OLogy activity helps kids understand how intertwined nature and nurture can be. The activity begins with an overview of nature and nurture, explaining how we are products of both. A printable 18-question quiz challenges kids to examine some of their distinguishing traits more closely, determining if nature is solely behind their hair colors, dessert preferences, and other traits. Kids then are asked to give the same test to a friend or family member and examine how and why their answers are different.

This interactive presentation is part of OLogy, where kids can collect virtual trading cards and create projects with them. Here, they travel along as a young boy goes in search of his genes. The presentation begins with the boy wondering where his genes are. With each click, kids zoom in from cells on the boy's arm all the way down to the base pairs of his DNA. With each zoom in, a memorable rhyme explains what students are seeing. The presentation ends with this thought: "We're all related in a way because we all have DNA!"