Super DNA?

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3.5 Seeing DNA

Super DNA? 3.5 Seeing DNA

A. Genes Determine Traits

The nucleus is the command center. Our genes are inside the nucleus, but they aren’t just floating around in there. They are tightly organized in the form of three little letters: DNA.

DNA is the code inside all living things that determines our traits. Our DNA carries our genes. There is DNA inside of fish, mice, people, mosquitos, tomatoes, strawberries, peas, flowers, bees and bats.  

 

Think About It: 

Below is a computer generated model of a strand of DNA. The colors are added to make it easier to see. What do you notice about the structure and shape of DNA?  

Shared DNA Order:

Correct Order: Apes share 98.8%, mice share 75.5%, cats share 90%, cows share 80%, whales share 70% of their DNA with people

Check your answers

B. Seeing DNA

DNA is usually too small to see with your eye, but there are some fruits where we can do an experiment that allows us to see their DNA, sort of. We’re going to do an experiment now where you are going to extract the actual DNA from a strawberry and a banana and compare the amount of DNA you see coming from each fruit.

 

Directions: Follow the directions in your Mission Log to conduct the seeing DNA experiment.

 

When you are done, check your answers to the reflection questions below.

Check your answers:

C. How That Code Works

You saw the lumps of DNA coming from the strawberry and the banana. But if we zoomed in closer, we’d see many tiny strands like the picture above. All of those strands of DNA give our cells directions for how to create life. Every living thing has DNA and different species have different codes that make them special. But even though a species might be different, not all of their code is different. Many living things share some DNA. 

Understanding what DNA we share and what makes us unique can help us understand how we might find and engineer super ability. 

Directions: Study the four animals below.

 

 

Think about it:

  • Can you spot any similarities that make you think they might share some DNA or code?
  • Three of the four are similar, one does not belong. Which one do you think doesn’t belong in the group? Can the answer be more than one?

bat

whale

human

chicken

Which one doesn't belong?

Actually, you could argue that each one was correct.

Chicken is the only non-mammal, so someone could argue it doesn’t belong.

Whale is the only one that lives in water, so it doesn’t belong.

Bat is the only mammal that flies, so it doesn’t belong.

Humans are the only ones that walk upright on two legs all the time, so they don’t belong.

In terms of DNA similarity, human, whale, and bat are all more closely related to each other than to the chicken—but all still share common DNA structure, so it’s still debatable.

Check your answers

D. Shared DNA: People And Animals

But how much DNA do animals share? It depends on the animal. People share DNA with many animals. Some animals share a little DNA and some animals share most of our DNA.

 

Directions: Drag and Drop: Put these animals in order. How much DNA do you think we share with these animals?

E. Zooming In

Most of our DNA is stored inside our cells in the nucleus. If we wanted to give people super power we’d have to find a way to get inside that nucleus and change our code.

 

Directions: Meet Discret-O. He’s a tiny superhero that can explore even the tiniest things. We’re going to follow him on a tour inside our cells.

 

Zoom into the nucleus of a cell to see where your DNA is located.

To help you remember where DNA is inside a cell, it’s time to draw a diagram in your mission log. In your diagram, draw and label:

  • A cell
  • The nucleus
  • The chromosomes 
  • DNA on the chromosomes.
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