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This DVD presentation explores the fundamental principles of heredity and variation. Terms such as cell, chromosomes, DNA, and RNA are defined and described to aide in the understanding of the genetic processes. Detailed graphics and illustrations of topics, such as Meiosis and Mitosis development, will support student comprehension of the more advanced genetic concepts. The history of inheritance is also discussed, as well as the use of technology to improve genetic outcomes and to benefit livestock industry.
How is it that the genetically identical clone of a tortoiseshell cat turned out to be a gray-striped tabby? The answer lies in epigenetics. This program presents evidence that DNA is not necessarily destiny, and that diet, stress, and environmental exposures can all modify gene expression. With commentary from experts, detailed animations of cell mechanics, and examples from everyday life, Epigenetics succeeds in delivering an informative and entertaining explanation of how cell memory, methylation, and RNA interference cause these changes to occur. The video also examines the role of epigenetics in stem cell function, and the promising developments the field holds for treating cancer and neurological disease.
Modern Theory and Speciation continues to look at more forces and evidence of evolution in the form of genetic drift and migration. Genetic drift and natural selection are compared by looking at founder effect and bottlenecks. It also discusses speciation including isolating mechanisms, types of speciation, and examples of speciation.
Professor Alan Trounson discusses his role in early IVF breakthroughs, and reviews a range of techniques and current issues related to stem cell research and genetics (including genomics and epigenetics). He highlights the tremendous challenges and opportunities these fields present for young people interested in a science career.
This compilation of video segments offers a further look at genetic science and what it reveals about human life and evolution. Case studies and expert interviews take viewers through recent genetic breakthroughs as well as their moral, ethical, and legal implications.
The episodes are:
Facts of Life: This report on the "Y" chromosome reveals more than just its link to maleness. It illustrates the role of the "Y" in determining that only men are prone to certain diseases, and why it is only a small number of "Y" genes that seem to be responsible for a lot of "male" behavior.
Attack on the Clones: Human culture has been evolving for millennia, but at some point, genetic engineering could alter the species itself. This report studies the social and political debate raging at the crossroads of human evolution and biotechnology - with guests Jerry Falwell, Christopher Reeve, Leon Kass, Arthur Kaplan, and Francis Fukuyama.
The Cloning Question: To clone or not to clone? This report highlights the fierce debate over the cloning of human embryos, sifting through the differences between therapeutic and reproductive cloning while presenting the arguments of those who oppose all such procedures.
Patent Pending: Should genes be owned and patented? Does the payoff always go to Big Pharma corporations? What happens when two determined parents patent the genetic code of the disease afflicting their children? This report explores the issue, including the creation of PXE International, a model gene -research advocacy group.
Xenografts: Will pigs eventually make up the shortfall in transplant organs? Will genetically modifying the pigs and inducing tolerance in patients make the grafts possible, or will the diseases and differences prove insurmountable? This segment searches for answers.
DNA in the Family Tree: Researchers in Utah are creating a global family tree - collecting genetic and genealogical information from 100,000 individuals around the world. This segment shows how the database will address issues that traditional written records can't resolve.
Daughters of Eve: Mitochondrial DNA does more than help cops catch criminals. It can trace human lineage - 150,000 years into the past. This segment outlines the fascinating genetic theory of "Mitochondrial Eve" as well as other surprising notions about evolution and biodiversity.
Justice DNA: A growing number of criminal cases succeed or fail based on DNA evidence. This segment shows how the new technology is freeing the innocent, convicting the guilty, and changing the way law enforcement investigates and prosecutes crimes.
Starts by introducing the cell cycle and briefly describing the process of binary fusion in prokaryotic cells before going on to a detailed look at the eukaryotic cell cycle from the G1, S and G2 phases of interphase through the prophase, metaphase, anaphase and telophase phases of mitosis. The difference between cytokinesis in animal and plant cells is then illustrated. The program concludes by explaining why an understanding of cellular division is critical to: conquering cancer, cloning organs, and perhaps even reversing aging.
Looks first at the structure of DNA before going on to describe how DNA carries out its four major functions: the storage of information; the replication of information; creating slight changes in the information through mutations that forces of natural selection act upon; and the translating of information into the proteins that define an individual. During this discussion students are introduced to: point mutations; insertions and deletions; the genetic code; transfer, messenger, and ribosomal RNA; and the process of replication and translation.
Begins by comparing asexual and sexual reproduction and describing chromsomes and homologous pairs. The difference between haploid and diploid cells and the three major eukaryotic life cycles are then described. The program goes on to a detailed description of all the stages of Meiosis I and II including prophase I and II, metaphase I and II, anaphase I and II, and telophase I and II. In the process students are introduced to phenomena such as crossing over and provided an explanation of how meiosis creates genetic variability in a species.
Begins by looking at single gene genetic disorders including recessive disorders such as Tay-Sachs and sickle-cell anemia, dominant disorders such as Huntington's disease, and sex-linked disorders such as hemophilia and color blindness. The program then looks at polygenic inheritance and environmental influences on the expression of genes. Chromosomal inheritance of disorders such as Down syndrome are then explored before looking at the ethical issues involved in genetic testing and the hope promised by the Human Genome Project.
Delves into the fundamental aspects of genetic inheritance and how Mendel discovered the principles that form the foundation of modern genetics. The program first goes to Mendel's pea garden to investigate how Mendel came to propose the Laws of Dominance, Independent Assortment and Segregation and how those laws have been modified as a result of work done by those that followed Mendel. The program later explores sex-linked traits, the use of Punnet squares, incomplete dominance, codominance, and polygenic inheritance.
What does genetic diversity mean, and what is its relationship to evolution? This video answers that intriguing question as it summarizes the theory of natural selection and describes the process of trait inheritance. Advances stemming from the Human Genome Project - an ever -deepening understanding of life on Earth, improvements in disease detection and treatment, and applications of genomics to agriculture, the environment, and forensic science - are also discussed.
Reviews
"Combines interviews of various scientific experts (it's nice to see women and ethnic minorities featured here) together with fine computer graphics to serve up a solid overview of biology." - Video Librarian
"A welcome replacement for outdated life science programs." - School Library Journal
DNA is a blueprint for each of our identities. The way our genes are expressed affects how our bodies function, what we look like, and who we are, in general. Learn how this important and complex molecule functions.
Learning Objectives:
1) Students will learn what DNA is and they will become familiar with its structure.
2) Students will understand the function of DNA in the human body during the replication of cells, during the formation of new reproductive cells, and in the synthesis of proteins for gene expression.
3) Students will learn about some of the practical applications of genetic engineering.
As the 19th century gave way to the 20th, genetics came into its own as a science. This program shows how the development of the microscope pushed genetic studies forward, focusing on early cell theory and the first observations of meiosis and mitosis. Exploring Thomas Morgan Hunt's work with fruit fly mutation, the film covers sex -linked inheritance, the discovery of the X and Y chromosomes in the early 1900s, chromosomal roles in the transmission of genetic material, and the importance of gene -mapping. It also deals with the misuse of genetic science, particularly in the dead -end study of eugenics.
Mapping the human genome is only the latest milestone in the dramatic history of genetics. This program explores momentous discoveries in the 18th and 19th centuries that gave birth to the science. Focusing on the work of Carl Linnaeus, Gregor Mendel, and Josef Kolreuter, the program shows how the basic laws of inheritance were established - highlighting Mendel's revolutionary notion that there is a double set of genetic instructions. Detailed discussions of the four -letter genetic code, the concepts of phenotype and genotype, and Mendel's life and working methods are featured, along with an overview of the impact of genetic engineering.
One of the most important stories in genetics is the race to understand DNA. This intro -level program guides viewers through that story, focusing on the biological and chemical processes central to the transfer of genetic material. Beginning in the middle of the 19th century, the program describes how competing scientists in Europe and America zeroed in on the DNA molecule and determined its structure. Friedrich Miescher's identification of "nuclein," Frederick Griffith's pneumococcus studies, Joshua Lederberg's analysis of bacteria reproduction, and James Watson and Francis Crick's double -helix configuration highlight the obsession, rivalry, and collaboration that drive scientific discovery.
Expanding on the subject of DNA, this program shows how genetic information is created and passed on through generations. Beginning with a discussion of Watson and Crick's groundbreaking 1953 paper on the structure of DNA and heredity, the program describes Crick's collaboration with Sydney Brenner in solving the DNA -to -protein puzzle and the role of RNA in protein synthesis. Mutagenic agents, restriction enzymes and plasmids, and the use of bacteria as model systems for genetic engineering are explored. The film also highlights the growth of controversy resulting from genetic experimentation with higher organisms.
Shedding light on today's biotech revolution, this program examines the controversies surrounding genetically modified organisms or GMOs - specifically in agriculture. The program explains the process of modification using bacteria and other microbes as models to demonstrate how genetic engineering works in plants. Marker genes, DNA constructs, promoters, ligase, restriction enzymes, and the real -world agricultural uses of transgenic plants are illustrated. The film clearly shows that farms are both working laboratories and ethical battlegrounds involving the long -term use of GMOs and their products.
Cut off from their ancestry by the three-hundred-year-long slave trade which uprooted 12 million people from Africa, three people are given the opportunity, through DNA searches, to reconnect with their roots. Through advances in DNA research and with the help of laboratories in the UK and America, the possibility arises that with a swab from the inside of a person's cheek they can trace back twelve or thirteen generations to the tribe of their ancestors.
We follow three people in their search for their roots. Mark's search leads him from London to reconnect with the Kanuri tribe in southern Niger. Jacqueline's family comes from Jamaica. She is mixed race and research reveals one ancestor was a slave owner; she visits what was once his sugar plantation. Beaula has always felt a deep affinity with Africa. Her DNA test results lead her to Bioko island in Equatorial Guinea where the Bubi tribe still lives. There she is welcomed as a sister. For each person, the reconnection is emotional, but weighted also with unanticipated cultural differences.
What is behind this longing to know? Strong feelings of "otherness" because of being dark skinned in white society. Motherland explores the emotional terrain of being cut off from one's roots. By following these intense journeys of re-discovery and re-connection, the film speaks to a wide range of identity issues in the African diaspora.
Reviews
"I was astounded by the programme - one of the most remarkable I have seen in recent years." - Greg Dyke, Director-General, BBC
"Highly Recommended. This film explores the importance of ancestry in determining self-image, and to a certain degree, self-respect. How much does our genetic background, especially the small slice of it examined by this kind of genetic testing, tell us about who we are, and shape how we see ourselves?" - Thomas J. Beck University of Colorado at Denver EMRO
"Ground-breaking." - The Times (London)
Note
International Documentary Festival, Amsterdam 2003
It was in the latter half of the 19th century that Gregor Mendel paved the way for the study of Genetics. This program starts with Mendel, and introduces a number of important concepts, principles and definitions that form the basis of the modern understanding of genetics and inheritance.
It covers the use of Punnet Squares for predicting the outcome of monohybrid and dihybrid crosses, and looks at gene linkage, sex linkage, and crossing over. The use of a Pedigree Analysis is a particularly useful way to trace how certain traits are passed down generations, and this program introduces Pedigree Analyses using examples of autosomal and sex-linked inheritance.
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This program uses vivid live-action photography and computer generated animation to survey and explore evolution through natural selection. Viewers explore these four aspects of natural selection: variation in genes, the results of environmental pressure, best-adapted individuals and the passing of genes to future generations. DVD narration and animation helps students to develop a concrete grasp on an abstract concept. As the DVD provides numerous real-life examples, students will gain an understanding of the key concepts and processes involved in natural selection. Through detailed explanations, viewers are able to see how certain factors affect the frequency of alleles in a population, such as genetic drift, bottleneck and founder effect.
The DVD also discusses divergent, convergent and parallel evolution as well as fossil dating methods. This program and its accompanying Teacher's Resource Book serve as useful tools for helping students understand why species evolve, how natural selection works, and the role that certain factors play in determining the survival of a species.
DVD (Closed Captioned, With Teacher's Resource Book) / 2002 / (Grades 7-College) / 31 minutes
The structure of DNA and the processes of mitosis and meiosis are illustrated with high quality 3-D animation. The program then explains how traits are passed between generations, the difference between pure and hybrid traits, recessive and dominant genes, and the use of the Punnett square to predict the probability of offspring inheriting a given trait. The program also looks at some common genetic disorders and the importance of genetics in medicine and biotechnology.
Chapter 1 Self-Pollination and Cross Pollination - High magnification shows the reproductive organs of the self-pollinating pea plant, how pollen germinates, and the technique used for cross-pollination.
Chapter 2 Mono-hybrid Cross - Mendel cross-pollinated 2 strains of peas, one wrinkled and the other round.
The first generation were all round. Why? Traits are determined by 2 alleles, each located on the same place of paired chromosomes, one allele (for round) and chromosome coming from one parent plant, and the other allele (for wrinkled) and chromosome from the other parent. Only one allele will be dominant and expressed, for round, the other allele for wrinkled is recessive and not expressed. But all peas are heterozygous, containing both a round and a wrinkled allele. The parent plants were homozygous, both alleles were for round, or both for wrinkled.
The second generation has on average 3 round peas for 1 wrinkled pea. Why? Statistically there are 4 possible combinations of alleles: round & round, round & wrinkled, wrinkled & round, and wrinkled & wrinkled. So only 1 out of 4 peas can be expressed as wrinkled.
Chapter 3 Di-Hybrid Cross - Mendel cross-pollinated plants with 2 differing traits, a strain of homozygous wrinkled and yellow peas, with homozygous round and green peas, for two generations. The combinations of traits and their frequency appearing in each generation is shown and the causes in allele combinations, explained.
Demonstrated with abundant examples of successive generations of animals and conceptually explained with animation are: the basic principles of Mendelian dominant and recessive genetics; how the transmission of heritable traits is effected in plants and animals, both sexually and asexually; why the characteristics of offspring from sexual reproduction are not identical with their parents because of the random combinations of chromosomes during meiosis; and why the inherited characteristics of offspring from asexual reproduction by mitosis are identical with their parents