Help George Find His Family!
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First, let's
learn a little about the scientist you have chosen. Gregor Mendel
was not a famous scientist in his day and actually taught natural
science in a local high school. This, however, did not keep him
from conducting extensive research on his own. After observing
unusual characteristics in some plants, Mendel decided to experiment to
see if he could recreate these same effects in the offspring of the
original plants. Mendel worked and worked and eventually studied
the offspring of over 1,000 different plants. The results of his
studies led him to develop the concept of heredity and dominant and
recessive traits. The work that Mendel did over 100 years ago is
still being taught in biology classes today, and has earned Mendel his
title as the 'Father' of modern genetics.
Your Task
Baby
alien George has recently discovered that
there was a mix-up at the hospital on the day he was born. The
parents he has known his whole life are not actually his biological
parents! Three potential sets of parents were found, and it is
your job to help George determine his true parentage by doing Punnett
squares. Each set of parents has three different traits that you
must look at to determine is George belongs to them: fur color,
number of eyes, and number of horns.
First
you must review Punnett squares
by clicking on the links below. Then print off and complete the
worksheet from the link below. It contains the names of the
potential
parents and blank Punnett squares for you to fill in.
Finally, you must complete the questions found at the bottom of this
page, and turn them in on a separate piece of paper. Good luck,
scientists! And remember, George is counting on you!
Review
Punnett Squares
http://www.borg.com/%7Elubehawk/psquare.htm
This website is an excellent review of Punnett squares and how to
create
them. Click on this site before
you get started, for an excellent review of
genetics.
Genetics
Dictionary
http://biology.about.com/science/biology/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://helios.bto.ed.ac.uk/bto/glossary/index.html
This site contains
definitions of the genetic terms you will need to answer the questions
found below.
Punnett Square
Worksheet
The true identity of Georges' parents can be
found at the end of this page, but wait until you have completed your
Punnett squares to check your answer.
Questions
What
is a genotype?
What is a phenotype?
What does it mean to be
homozygous for a trait?
What does it mean to be
heterozygous for a trait?
What is a dominant trait?
What is a recessive trait?
How is knowing about genetics important to your life?
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And the winner is...
Congratulations scientists! You have made George
very happy by discovering that his true parents are... the
Neptunes! Thanks for all your hard work, and good luck on your
other missions. Click here
to conclude your mission.