Genetics
Experiment: Are fingerprint patterns inherited?
Let’s investigate whether fingerprint patterns are created randomly or whether they are influenced by genetics.
HS-LS3-3
Apply concepts of statistics and probability to explain the variation and distribution of expressed traits in a population.
More Stories in HS-LS3-3
-
Health & MedicineExamining Neandertal and Denisovan DNA wins a 2022 Nobel Prize
Svante Pääbo figured out how to examine the genetic material from these hominid ‘cousins’ of modern humans.
-
AnimalsA dog’s breed doesn’t say much about its behavior
Many people associate dog breeds with specific behavioral traits. But breed appears to account for only about 9 percent of behavioral differences.
-
Health & MedicineSickle-cell gene therapies offer hope — and challenges
Doctor Erica Esrick discusses existing treatments and an ongoing clinical trial for a gene therapy to treat sickle cell disease.
-
Health & MedicineGender-affirming care improves the mental health of transgender youth
Several states have tried to restrict access to gender-affirming health care for transgender youth. That goes against medical guidelines.
-
MicrobesExplainer: Virus variants and strains
When viruses become more infectious or better able to survive the body’s immune system, they become a type of variant known as a strain.
-
PlantsHow Romanesco cauliflower grows spiraling fractal cones
By tweaking just three genes in a common lab plant, scientists have mimicked one of nature’s most impressive mathematical patterns.
-
AnimalsScience and Indigenous history team up to help spirit bears
When scientists and Indigenous people work together, their efforts can benefit bears and people.
-
Health & MedicineBringing COVID-19 vaccines to much of world is hard
The price of not vaccinating nearly everyone across the world could be a longer pandemic and more troubling variants of the new coronavirus.
-
HumansBy not including everyone, genome science has blind spots
Little diversity in genetic databases makes precision medicine hard for many. One historian proposes a solution, but some scientists doubt it’ll work.