This article on Genetic Databases appeared in Biologist magazine in 2001. The resource is provided by the Association for Science Education (ASE).

What we eat; how we function (even to the smallest active molecule); every creature, microbe or plant that lives and grows in, on and around us - all these...

This Mathematics Matters case study, from the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, looks at how mathematicians' understanding of knots can help unravel potentially fatal knots in DNA molecules. Understanding how to manipulate tangles of DNA could help us create new treatments for diseases, so...

This resource was written by Rugby School, the Institute of Education and University of York Science Education Group on behalf of Nowgen for the Nowgen Schools Genomics Programme. The materials extend students knowledge and understanding in the area of genomics. The student guide contains information and activities...

This Mathematics Matters case study describes how mathematicians help to boost efficiency in the energy industry by mapping buried oil reserves. As oil supplies become harder and more expensive to reach, it’s essential that we maximise the yield from available reservoirs in any way possible. Mathematicians are...

Published by the Wellcome Trust, the 'Big Picture' explores issues around biology and medicine. Why does Darwinian evolution raise controversy when, say, quantum mechanics scarcely registers on the public consciousness?

Produced in 2015, these resources look specifically at how genes can be altered in plants and how bacteria are central to genetic engineering techniques. Genetically modified (GM) crops offer the potential to help improve food security though this still remains...

This animation shows the major stages of subcloning. This is the process of breaking up fragments of DNA from BAC clones into smaller more manageable pieces for DNA sequencing. This process was very important during the Human Genome Project. Subcloning involves several standard molecular biology techniques...

This survey, aimed at primary level, looks at the identification and classification of the banded snail, their biological variation and how this may be an adaptation to the habitat in which the snails live. It links to the topics of living things and their habitats and evolution and inheritance. The resource may be...

From the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, this animation shows a detailed overview of the processes involved in the dideoxy or Sanger method for sequencing DNA. This is the method used to sequence the human genome. The animation demonstrates the principles and techniques involved in the Sanger sequencing method,...

This poster-style handout provides information about genes for children, explaining how genes are instructions for building proteins, how genetic disorders can happen and how many genes we have in our cells. The sheet was produced by Genetic Disorders UK, which provides schools with a host of free resources for...

This resource provides background information for students about the structure of DNA, DNA replication, genetic engineering, cloning, genetic testing and DNA fingerprinting.

The activities for students include a practical activity where students extract their own DNA from cheek epithelial cells or plant...

From the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, this resource introduces the Human Genome Project (HGP).

A short animation gives:

* an introduction to DNA and genomes;

* an overview of which countries were involved in the international Human Genome Project;

* a description of the processes,...

This colourful leaflet from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) looks at how environmental factors have affected human evolution. It includes a timeline and map showing how and where humans have developed and changed over millions of years.

Humans are a truly global species. We have colonised...

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

In recent years, great progress has been made in genome sequencing and understanding the huge amount of data produced....