Microsatellite Class Activities
How do these activities comply with the National Science Education standards?
1. DNA Microsatellites: Agents of Evolution?
Students proceed through a kinesthetic simulation of how DNA strands produce slip-strand mispairing resulting in changes in the number of microsatellite repeats, and then learn the evolutionary significance of these changes to the regulation of virulence in various bactiera. The website includes both teachers notes and student worksheet.
2. Microsatellites and Disease
Students learn about microsatellites in human diseases such as Huntington's and Fragile X syndrome. They role-play by randomly selecting genotypes, pairing up with another student in the class and predicting the phenotype of their offspring.
3. Using Microsatellites to Study Human Evolution and Migration
Students read three different articles about applying microsatellites to studying human evolution and migration, and answer questions based on the articles. They will compare two theories of human evolution.
4. PCR Timewarp
Students learn about the conceptual details of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) through a dialectic demonstration of the process.
5. Using Microsatellites to Study Ant Ecology
We outline a proposal to develop a set of classroom activities to study population genetics and ecology of ants using microsatellite technology.