This film tells the story of how DNA sequencing was used to identify the gene BRAF. Clinical researcher Ultan McDermott tells the story of how scientists at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute discovered a specific mutation in the BRAF gene, which is found in around half of malignant melanoma cases. He...

This resource from Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute is a practical, classroom activity that allows the students to make a balloon model of a disease-causing bacterium. This illustrates its basic shape and structure. Students can choose from three bacteria species...

From the Integrating Mathematical Problem Solving project by Mathematics in Education and Industry (MEI), this activity for post-16 students demonstrates that if a link is suspected between a risk factor and an illness, statistical methods can be used to test whether such a link exists. Topic areas covered are:...

In this module students will study barnacle morphology, life histories and life styles as Darwin did. He based his classification and search for a common ancestor upon his studies. Recent work using genetic and molecular evidence and scanning electron microscopy shows how some of the key difficulties in drawing the...

The Youth Grand Challenges is a new STEM competition that aims to inspire students aged 11-to-19.  This resource provides a selection of ideas for research or practical projects on the subect of the spread of disease.

Curriculum links include pathogens, bacteria, epidemics, pandemics, malaria, water borne...

This is a classroom-based activity from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute that allows students to explore the features of two bacterial pathogen genomes. The aim of this activity is to highlight the role of different genetic components in two closely related subspecies of Salmonella enterica, and to identify how...

Activities in this resource aim to:

• celebrate the achievement of completing the Human Genome project in 2003
• show the relevance of genome sequencing today
• explain the methods used for DNA sequencing, including the illumina method of rapid sequencing and the shotgun sequencing
...

This resource is designed to meet the specifications for the A-level practical endorsement in England (CPAC). However, it will make a valuable guide to dissection and scientific drawing of a flower for those following a variety of different specifications.

The ability to accurately observe, dissect and...

Published by the Wellcome Trust, the 'Big Picture' explores issues around biology and medicine.

While providing immense benefits, drugs are not the perfect solution. They only work on a proportion of patients,...

Produced by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, in this activity students translate DNA sequences into a series of amino acids to discover which protein is coded for and its function.

Students are supplied with a worksheet with DNA sequences and a codon wheel to decode the codons into amino acids. The amino...

These post-16 lesson plans look at Darwin’s pigeon breeding experiments and how they revealed the biology of inheritance and selection. Students will:

• Compare natural and artificial selection and be able to critically explain the difference between the two.
• Explore how Darwin used selective...

From ARKive, these resources help students to learn about the Galapagos Islands, their biodiversity and conservation. Through a series of activities, students look at: the scientific history and importance of the Galapagos Islands; the species that inhabit the islands including the concept of endemic species; the...

A number of scenarios are presented to encourage debate around genome sequencing. All teaching materials are provided.

• The interaction of genetic and environmental factors in influencing phenotype
• Ethical implications of genetic screening

Curriculum links:

• Sequencing...

Published by the Wellcome Trust, the 'Big Picture' explores issues around biology and medicine. The Earth's climate is changing ever faster, and human activities play a role in speeding up this change.

The Earth’s climate is changing. In fact, it has always been...