Biology/Microbiology and Genetics


Adventures Beyond the Decimal
http://www.nanoreisen.de/english/
This interesting site examines the cell and its parts, allowing closer and closer views, such as a microscopic look of the atom or a mosquito.

A Tour of the Cell
http://www.nsf.gov/news/overviews/biology/interactive.jsp
Imagine having a microscopic camera so small that you could travel inside a cell. This site allows you to do just that. You can also click on individual parts of the cell and learn their function. This site by the National Science Foundation is extremely interactive and full of wonderful content.

Biology Project: Chemicals & Human Health
http://www.biology.arizona.edu/chh/default.html
This section of the University of Arizona's Biology Project provides background information on toxic materials and the body's responses. There are interactive tutorials with assessment questions and an activity in which students can actually acquire and analyze real data on the effects of second-hand smoke. Topics include Kidneys and Metals, General Toxicology, and Lung Toxicology. There are annotated links to several other outstanding resources.

Cell Biology and Cancer (NIH/NCI)
http://science.education.nih.gov/supplements/nih1/cancer/default.htm  
Cell Biology and Cancer - developed with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) - is a creative, inquiry-based instruction program, designed to promote active learning and stimulate student interest in medical topics.

CELLS alive!
http://www.cellsalive.com/
CELLS alive! represents 30 years of capturing film and computer-enhanced images of living cells and organisms for education and medical research. There contents include Cell Biology, Microbiology, Immunology, and Microscopy. Each section contains links to interactive content.

Click and Clone
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/units/cloning/clickandclone/
Students can explore the science of cloning by clicking on Mimi, a brown mouse. Necessary ingredients and tools appear on the screen and each step is graphically provided along with accompanying sounds. Students can move the petri dishes around and explore the process using a microscope. At the end of the process, you will have some baby mouse clones.

Create a DNA Fingerprint
http://www.teachersdomain.org/resources/tdc02/sci/life/gen/creatednafingerprint/index.html
Learn DNA profiling, the technique police use to catch the guilty and free the innocent. Click to view an interactive feature that lets you compare a sample DNA with those of suspects. This engaging activity is from NOVA: "The Killer's Trail."

DNA
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/dna/episode1/index.html
From the Public Broadcasting System comes this excellent site devoted to all things DNA — from the story of how 'the double helix' was discovered to The Human Genome Project to attempts to cure Cancer and a look at the pluses and minuses of genetic experimentation. The site also offers resources for teachers, a DNA timeline, and a 3-D DNA Explorer.

DNA and Genes: The Basics and Beyond
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/units/basics/
This Website offers a clear definition of the science of Genetics, highlighting DNA and genes. There is a neat, easy-to-understand animated tour of the basics and an opportunity to go inside an animated cell. Student can build a DNA molecule and discover how proteins function. Teachers and students alike will enjoy "What Makes a Firefly Glow?" Among others, there is a student activity based on using DNA to solve a mystery of stolen artifacts. The great teacher resources supply guides and suggest classroom activities. All in all, this is a useful site whose simple interactive graphics provide a fun and easy way to learn the difficult subject of DNA.

DNA Interactive
http://www.dnai.org/
DNA Interactive explores the exciting history of DNA science. Visit to examine the Timeline of DNA discovery, jump into the Code for a more in-depth lesson, or click on Manipulation to learn about the tools developed to work with DNA strands. With free registration, teachers can pick up lesson plans and worksheets.

From Microscopes to Large-Scale Scupture
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4079067
National Public Radio makes the connection between art and science by exploring the work of sculptor Kendall Buster. Site visitors can open an audio file to hear an interview with microbiologist-turned-artist Kendall Buster. Buster uses the images she sees through a microscope as inspiration to create her monumental sculptures, which can be walked through and experienced as three-dimensional worlds.

Harvest of Fear
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/harvest/
FRONTLINE and NOVA join forces to report on the risks, benefits, hopes and fears of biotechnology and bio engineered food crops. The report includes in-depth interviews with genetic scientists, food industry and agribusiness representatives, farmers using genetically modified seeds, and critics of biotechnology.

Learn.Genetics
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/  
The Genetic Science Learning Center is a University of Utah outreach education program to help people understand how genetics affects life and society. Offerings include free hands-on activities using low-cost materials; WebQuest to guide student exploration of online materials; learning guides; bioethics case studies; lesson plan suggestions.

Kid's Palynology
http://www.geo.arizona.edu/palynology/kid_pal0.html
Pally the Pollen Grain and Fern the Spore are ready to take your students on a tour of the wonderful world of palynomorphs. This all-too-brief but cute web site features short pages, illustrated with photographs, which cover pollen transport, form, and function. There are also links to other K-12 pollination sites. This site is aimed at 2nd or 3rd grade.

Microbes.info: Microbiology Information Portal
http://www.microbes.info/index.html  
Microbes.info is an internet web site designed to bring useful and interesting microbiology informational resources to you. Microbes.info is managed by its creator and webmaster, Al Chan. Setup in the now familiar format of many major directories, it covers: General, Environmental, Food, Industrial, Medical, and Veterinary Microbiology. It also includes sections on Education and Learning, Employment and Careers, Organizations, Companies, News, Articles, and more.

Microbe Zoo
http://commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/dlc-me/index.html  
Here is an excellent resource to explore the fascinating world of microbes. Students can take a look at microbe specimens, learn how they affect our world, investigate microbe news-makers, and read profiles of scientists who study the microbe world.

Microscope Imaging Station
http://www.exploratorium.edu/imaging_station/index.php  
In 2004, the Exploratorium launched the most ambitious microscope facility ever created for use by the general public, the Microscope Imaging Station. The project gives museum visitors the ability to view living specimens, as well as control the microscopes themselves to change the magnification, focus, and even the lighting. The project’s companion web site reflects the diversity of topics and specimens that users might see on a typical visit; its goal is to recreate some of the excitement and wonder that the earliest biological researchers found as they discovered another world all around them. Through images, text, and video, visitors to the site can learn about blood cells, stem cells, what happens when the immune system goes awry, how the zebrafish is helping biomedical researchers understand how our hearts function, and how the sea urchin helps scientists understand such topics as genes, reproduction, and cancer.

Molecularium: Kid Site
http://www.molecularium.com/kidsite.html
What lives in the nano world? You'll find out here through interactive activities, a gallery, and more! By Rensselaer’s Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center for Directed Assembly of Nanostructures.

Putting DNA to Work (Koshland Science Museum)
http://www.koshlandsciencemuseum.org/exhibitdna/index.jsp  
Fifty years ago scientists first described the structure of DNA. Today humans have put DNA to work in a wide variety of applications. This exhibit explores a few of those applications including Inherited Diseases, DNA/Criminal Justice, Improving Crops, and Infectious Disease. In the following sections, learn more about the basics of where DNA is found, how similar DNA is between humans and other species and how traits are inherited from one generation to the next. Teaching Activities include standards-based activities and fieldtrip guides that can be used without a physical visit.

Small Worlds: The Art of the Invisible
http://www.mhs.ox.ac.uk/smallworlds/
Small Worlds: the art of the invisible is an exhibition of the miniature world of microscopic specimens, revealing the strange and wonderful contents of the Museum’s collection of some ten thousand slides. Over three-quarters of these are contained in a single cabinet on permanent loan from the Royal Microscopical Society, with specimens prepared between 1860 and 1930. Click on the Exhibition button (the picture frame in the center) and use the Navigation list on the right side to view the online version of this exhibition. Click on Specimens & Slides on the menu bar to view the image gallery.

Stem Cell Information
http://stemcells.nih.gov/index.asp
An excellent introduction to stem cells, this site examines the unique properties of stem cells, differences between embryonic and adult stem cells, and FAQs. The Info Center provides answers to questions like "What Are Stem Cells?" Students can also find information on Federal Policy and pending legislation concerning stem cell policy.

Understanding Genetics
http://www.thetech.org/exhibits/online/ugenetics/
This is a very interesting site having to do with genetics. Sections include Points of View, Genetics in the News, Online Exhibits, Ask a Geneticist, At Home Activities, and much more.

Virtual Cell Web Page
http://www.ibiblio.org/virtualcell/index.htm

Virtual Microscope (Univ of Delaware)
http://www.udel.edu/biology/ketcham/microscope/scope.html  
A narrated interactive tutorial on the use of a microscope. A checklist promotes success by indicating when a step is completed or needs to be repeated. The virtual scope has all the same controls found on the real thing. Nicely done.

Zoo Matchmaker
http://www.minnesotazoo.org/education/games/matchmaker/index.html
Zoos often focus on ways to promote a species by ensuring its genetic diversity. This site allows you to be the virtual matchmaker of tigers with varying levels of genetic similarity. Travel through four generations of tigers to learn how your decisions impact the health of the species.


 

     

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