What is the DNA we share?

Talk about twisted deoxyribose family drama! The story of Lydia Fairchild and her mysteriously non-DNA related children gives Stacey cause for a double take on some unique science. The chimera chaos leads the team to wander the streets of DNA snips and ancestral alleles that makes us unique. From coding and non-coding DNA to epigenetics, nuclear tides and cloning. Plus, the influence of Sonic the Hedgehog on our own human uniqueness and tracing ancestry through the Viking Finger.

Curriculum Links

Biology: Genetics and heredity including DNA structure and function (chemical basis of heredity), inheritance (transmission of genetic information) and genetic variation and diversity (mutations, epigenetics). Developmental biology including embryonic development (cellular differentiation, role of genes), stem cells (biological potential) and chimerism and conjoined twins (biological anomalies).

Chemistry: DNA Structure and function including chemical components of DNA (bases, sugar, phosphate), chemical bonds holding DNA together and basic principles of molecular structure and function.

Forensic science (Applied Biology/Chemistry): DNA profiling including chemical analysis of STRs for identification and application of biological principles to legal contexts.

Biotechnology (Applied Biology/Chemistry): Ancestry testing and genetic engineering and cloning technologies.

Ethics: Ethics of cloning (societal and moral considerations of a biological technology) and implications of genetic testing (social, psychological, and ethical impacts of biological information).

Science as a Human Endeavour: Scientific naming and discovery (historical and cultural context of biological terms).

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