Teen Health, Course 1

Introduction

Genetics is the study of how hereditary material in cells combine to create a human being.  This material is known as chromosomes.  Chromosomes carry codes (known as genes) that tell each cell what job to do. For example, there is a code that tells some cells to become bloods cells, and another that tells other cells to become bone cells.  Parents pass their chromosomes and codes on to their children. That is why children often look like their parents.  On the Web site below you will learn more about how genetics works and have a chance to conduct your own genetic experiment.

Link to explore:  Genetics Science Learning Center: http://gslc.genetics.utah.edu/units/basics/index.cfm

Directions

• Start at the “Genetics Science Learning Center” Web site.
• Click on the “Tour of the Basics” link and read through the following explanations: “What is DNA?”, “What is a Gene?”, “What is a Chromosome?”, and “What is Heredity?” Take notes on what you read.
• When you finish reading, answer the questions below.
• Finally, make a heredity questionnaire you and your friends can take. Include questions about physical and personality traits. For example, you might ask, “Which physical traits did you inherit from your mother and which from your father? When you are done, look at all the answers you collected to see if there are traits that most teens inherited from their parents.

Questions

1			What does DNA look like?
2			What are the rungs of the DNA ladder called, and how many kinds are there?
3			What are genes and what do they do?
4			What are chromosomes and how many does each human being have?
5			How are sex cells different from other cells, and how does a baby get traits from both its parents?