Chapter 12-1: DNA and Understanding the Blueprint of Life
Name: ___________________________
Go to http://mspittsbiologyspace.wikispaces.com
Click on Biology I
Scroll down to today’s date and click on webquest. To open links, either right click and click “open link,” OR use
hotkeys “ctrl + click.”
Google genome: What does this word mean? ______________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Site 1: Watch Instructions for a human being, Cracking the Code, One Wrong Letter (0-24:20) and try to
answer the questions as you go...
1.
What is the human genome project? ___________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
2.
What has the project revealed about the differences between humans and bananas? ______________
_______________________________________________________________________________.
3.
Why do scientists think it is important to know the structure of your DNA (the code)? ___________
_______________________________________________________________________________.
4.
How do we compare to fruit flies? _____________________________________________________
5.
How is that code represented? What does it look like?_____________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________.
6.
How long is the code? _____________________________________________________________.
7.
How similar are babies/human beings’ genetic codes? _____________________________________
8.
How long did they think it would take to map the human genome? ___________________________
9.
How long did it take for scientists to find the gene that causes cystic fibrosis? __________________
10.
How long did it take them to find the gene that causes Huntingdon’s disease? __________________
11.
How did they originally map the genome? ______________________________________________
12.
What percent of your genes are active and important in causing disease and making you who you are?
_______________________________________________________________________________
13.
What happened to the human genome project in the last ten years? ___________________________
14.
How does the scientist compare our DNA to a Boeing 777? How is the human genome project specifically
like a parts list? ____________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
15.
What is Tay Sachs? __________________________________________________________________
16.
How does it occur? __________________________________________________________________
17.
What happens to children with Tay Sachs? ________________________________________________
18.
How do children inherit Tay Sachs? _____________________________________________________
19.
How would the human genome project help the families described in the story? ___________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
Site 2: Explore Journey Into DNA; try to answer the questions as you go... Click through the Flash animation by hitting the
magnifying glass.
20.
How many cells are in the human body? ___________
21.
What structure is called the control center of the cell? ________________
22.
How many chromosomes are inside of the cell’s nucleus? ________________
23.
How many genes are stored in these chromosomes? __________________
24.
Draw a chromosome
25.
How many letters or DNA bases is a typical gene? ________________
26.
If you could unravel it, how long would your DNA be? _______________
27.
To keep all of that DNA inside of the cell it is wrapped around histones. Histones are an example of what
kind of molecule? ___________________
28.
In DNA, A always pairs with
29.
DNA is made-up of repeated units. These units contain: sugar, phosphate and bases. What are these units
called? ____________________
30.
How many atoms are in just one nucleotide? ____________________
and C always pairs with
.
Site 4: Watch the process of DNA replication. Click on whichever option works for your computer. Replay the animation several
times.
31. What enzyme is responsible for “unzipping” the parent DNA strand? ____________________
32. How fast does the narrator say the blue enzyme spins the DNA? ________________________________
33. What is the difference in how the two sides are copied? _______________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
Site 5: Watch The Sequencing Race Begins Chapter 4 and try to answer the questions as you go…
34. What is the promise of the human genome project? ___________________________________________
35. When did the project start? _____________________________________________________________
36. How did technology change the length of the project? ________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
37. Who was Craig Venter and what did he do? _______________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Site 6: Watch the McGraw Hill animation of DNA replication. Answer the questions about this intricate process. Remember,
just press pause to stop the animation and read the information.
38. Where does DNA replication begin? ___________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
39. Which enzyme complex initiates the process of replication? __________________________________
40. What are the short fragments called that are formed in the discontinuous strand? __________________