Name: ___________________________________________________________________________ Period: _______________
Genetics Science Learning Center Activity
DNA, Genes, & Chromosomes
Go to Tour of Basic Genetics
Click on What is DNA?
1. Where do the instructions for the cell’s activities reside? ___________________________________________
2. What is used as an analogy for the instructions contained in DNA? ________________________________
3. What does DNA stand for? ______________________________________________________________________________
4. In the DNA alphabet, A, C, T, G which bases bond with each other? _________________________________
5. What kind of bond joins the bases together? _________________________________________________________
6. If the bases form the horizontal rungs of the DNA “twisted ladder,” what forms the upright
sides of the ladder? ________________________________________________________________________________________
7. The letters in DNA make ________________________________________________________________________________
8. The words make _________________________________________________________________________________________
9. These “sentences” are called ___________________________________________________________________________
10. Genes tell the cell to make _____________________________________________________________________________
Click on What is a Gene?
1. Genes are made of _______________________________________________________________________________________
2. One stand of DNA contains ______________________________________________________________________ genes.
3. Approximately how many different genes do humans have? ________________________________________
4. Each gene contains ______________________________________________________________ for making proteins.
5. The protein used as an example in this section is ____________________________________________________
which is part of ____________________________________________ ________________________________________ cells.
6. What is a mutation? _____________________________________________________________________________________
7. What disorder is caused by a mutation to the hemoglobin-producing gene?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Go to Chromosomes & Inheritance
Click on What is a Chromosome?
1. The uncoiled DNA in our cells is _________________________________________________________________ long.
2. DNA is ________________________________________________________________________________ in chromosomes.
3. The DNA double helix is wrapped around _____________________________________________________________
which are then packed tightly to form chromosomes.
4. How many chromosomes are in:
Mosquitos? ________________________
Carp? ________________________
Onions? ___________________________
Humans? ____________________
Go to Molecules of Inheritance
Click on Build a DNA Molecule
1. How many cells does our body produce every day? __________________________________________________
2. What must happen before a cell can divide? __________________________________________________________
3. How long does the above process take? _______________________________________________________________
4. Does DNA replication happen in one place and proceed in the same direction? If not, briefly
explain how it happens. ___________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5. What are the bonds between complimentary bases compared to? _________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________