Chapter 12-1/12-2: DNA and Understanding the Blueprint of Life Name: ______________________
Video 1: As a class, 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? ___________________________________________________
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What has the project revealed about the differences between humans and bananas? ______________
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Why do scientists think it is important to know the structure of your DNA (the code)? ___________
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How do we compare to fruit flies? _____________________________________________________
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How is that code represented? What does it look like?_____________________________________
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6.
How long is the code? _____________________________________________________________.
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How similar are babies/human beings’ genetic codes? _____________________________________
How long did they think it would take to map the human genome? ___________________________
How long did it take for scientists to find the gene that causes cystic fibrosis? __________________
How long did it take them to find the gene that causes Huntingdon’s disease? __________________
How did they originally map the genome? ______________________________________________
What percent of your genes are active and important in causing disease and making you who you are?
13.
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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? ____________________________________________________________________
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What is Tay Sachs? __________________________________________________________________
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How does it occur? __________________________________________________________________

17.
What happens to children with Tay Sachs? ________________________________________________
18.
How do children inherit Tay Sachs? _____________________________________________________
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How would the human genome project help the families described in the story? ___________________
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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.”
Site 1: Explore Journey Into DNA ; try to answer the questions as you go... Click through the Flash animation by hitting the magnifying glass.
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How many cells are in the human body? ___________
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? ___________________
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In DNA, A always pairs with and C always pairs with .
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? ____________________
Site 2: 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? _______________________________________
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Site 3: 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? ___________________________________________________
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39. Which enzyme complex initiates the process of replication? __________________________________
40. What are the short fragments called that are formed in the discontinuous strand? _________________ _
Site 4: The Human Genome Project Click on the link and then click on “The Human Genome” on the right hand side.
41. What is your genome?
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42. How many copies of your genome do most cells have? ____
43. How many DNA letters do all your chromosomes have combined? ____________________________
44. Which country was the largest contributor to the Human Genome Project? (Hover over the pie chart)
45. How did the researchers handle the immense workload?
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46. Where did the DNA for the project come from ?
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47. What was their DNA combined with ? ______________________________________________________________
Why? ____________________________________________________________________________________________
48. What are small circles of bacterial DNA called? __________________________________
49. The animation will go into great detail about the technology they used to sequence the DNA. This is called electrophoresis.
50. How do they get the DNA fragments to move in this technology?
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Turn in when complete!