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 Basics of Genetics Science DVD Programs
  
DNA, RNA, and Protein Synthesis: Information to Structure
- 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.Meiosis, Sexual Reproduction, & Genetic Variability
- 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.Cellular Reproduction: Mitosis, Cytokinesis, and the Cell Cycle
- Starts by introducing the cell cycle and briefly describing the
process of binary fission 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.Understanding Inheritance: Mendel, Method, and Mapping
- 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.The Human Genome: Traits, Disorders, and Treatments -
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.Biotechnology: Engineering Genomes - First looks at
major research areas in biotechnology such as the Human Genome Project
and the various forms of recombinant DNA technology that produce
transgenic plants and animals. The program then goes on to look at the
tools used by biotechnologists such as restriction enzymes, plasmids,
vector and vector less insertion of genes into genomes, and the
production of genes via polymerase chain reactions. The program then
concludes by looking at the future of biotechnology and some of the
environmental, economic, and ethical issues raised by biotech.

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