Languages Life Sciences

English Teaching Forum Language and Civil Society (a Forum Electronic Journal) Comments We want to hear from you!
Introduction: Advances in Biotechnology About the Authors The Advances in Biotechnology volume has been created to provide language teachers with resources about breakthroughs in biotechnology. The volume does not require teachers and their students to have extensive prior knowledge or expertise in this field. Instead, the materials give teachers and their students just enough background in the topic to understand the implications this scientific field has for their lives and society's future. They also serve as a springboard for meaningful discussion about issues that confront all of us as this technology evolves. The chapters provide teachers with resources they can exploit to create content-based lessons related to biotechnology. Each chapter of the volume highlights one aspect of research in the field of DNA and genetics along with its applications to and implications for society. The chapters feature relevant background information on each topic, interactive and communicative classroom activities, and a list of related print and Internet resources that will allow teachers to expand the lesson further.
CHAPTERS
Chapter 1
Mapping the Human Genome
Chapter 2
Controversial Issues in Gene Research
Chapter 3
Cloning
Chapter 4
Biotechnology and Crop Engineering
Biotechnology Topics as Meaningful Content Biotechnology is perhaps the most rapidly advancing area in science today. Articles about developments and controversies in this field appear virtually every day in print and electronic media. Given this explosion in knowledge and the impact it has on our daily lives, the topic is one that all individuals need to be informed about. For this volume, we have chosen to focus on both the promises and controversies surrounding research on DNA and genetics. Although
Chapter 5
Drugs of the Future
there are many other aspects of biotechnology that are deserving of coverage, the area of DNA research is the foundation of all work in biotechnology. Thus a solid background in DNA advances is essential for understanding all other research in this field. In addition to explaining what DNA is and how it was discovered, the chapters in this volume examine how this knowledge is being broadly applied in fields ranging from medicine to criminal justice to agriculture. Each chapter takes a two-part approach to the topic, examining both the scientific mechanisms behind each scientific advance and the ethical dilemmas the new discovery raises.
Language and Life Sciences A Forum Electronic Journal Published online by the Office of English Language Programs, U.S. Department of State, 2003 Editor William P. Ancker Internet Editor Rick Rosenberg
Topics in Biotechnology Chosen for This Volume Because advances in biotechnology overlap with most other scientific fields and impact many aspects of our lives, the topics that teachers can explore with their students are quite far-reaching. For this volume, we have singled out the following topics: Mapping the Human Genome Controversial Issues in Gene Research Cloning Biotechnology and Crop Engineering Drugs of the Future These particular topics have been selected due to: (1) their timeliness; (2) their foundational nature in helping to explicate this rapidlyexpanding field; (3) their relevance to the lives of individuals living in all parts of the world; and (4) their controversial nature and the ethical issues surrounding them. Each chapter contains the following components:
q q q q q q q q q q q q
Introduction to the Topic and Background Information Classroom Applications Preliminary Lesson Planning Warm Up Activity and Transition Activity 1 Activity 2 Activity 3 Cool Down Activity Possible Extensions Internet Resources References and Endnotes Appendices (includes Glossary and Classroom Materials)
Each chapter is conceived as a self-contained unit. We have sequenced the chapters according to our own perceptions of their difficulty level, but teachers may opt to use the materials in a different sequence or to use only those chapters that they consider most relevant for their classes. When planning their lessons, teachers are encouraged to consult the lesson plan section of the chapter and to follow the procedures as we have outlined them. In such instances, all necessary instructions for using the materials are contained in the chapters and the teaching materials themselves are available in the Appendix section. However, since teachers are the best judges of their own students' needs and interests, we have also built flexibility into each lesson and have outlined alternatives in the Possible Extensions section. Additional valuable teaching resources are listed in the Internet Resources section. We certainly encourage teachers to explore these additional resources and to innovate and alter the lessons as needed to better fit their own teaching contexts. We envision the chapters as having various uses depending on the teaching/learning context in which they are used. Some teachers may wish to use the materials selectively to stimulate class discussion on an occasional basis; others may wish to work systematically through the chapters, using the biotechnology content as core materials in their curriculum to promote English language proficiency. The content-based approach to language development used in these chapters is predicated on the belief that through the use of challenging and interesting content, students will both be engaged and be pushed in their language development. We believe that the end result of using these materials will be increased command of English along with the added benefit of their improved understanding of how genetic advances are destined to change all our lives.
About the Authors Donna M. Brinton currently serves as a Lecturer in Applied Linguistics and as Academic Coordinator of ESL Service Courses at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She has held these positions since 1979. As Academic Coordinator, she oversees ESL courses for matriculated university students. As a Lecturer, she teaches M.A. and Ph.D. students in Applied Linguistics and undergraduate students in Teaching ESL/EFL. Her interests in language education include TESOL methods, English for Specific Purposes (ESP), Content Based Instruction (CBI), teacher development, teaching pronunciation, teaching literature, and instructional media. She has co-authored several teacher reference texts in pronunciation teaching, ESP, and
CBI. She is also co-editor of The CATESOL Journal (published by California TESOL). Finally, she is quite active in short-term international teacher training. As a consultant, she has visited Canada, Mexico, Thailand, South Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan, Israel, South Africa, Mozambique, Madagascar, Mauritius, Argentina, and Brazil. Christine Holten has been a lecturer in UCLA's Department of Applied Linguistics and TESL since 1988. She teaches advanced ESL writing courses to undergraduate and graduate students and courses in the M.A. program. She has presented papers and published articles on writing conferences, grammar and language in writing instruction, composition tutoring, portfolio assessment, literature in content-based instruction, and other topics related to writing and content-based instruction. She is co-author of an ESL content-based textbook series and an ESL composition textbook, both for advanced ESL students. She began her career teaching EFL in Cameroon. Jodi L. Nooyen is currently a full-time ESL instructor for the English Language Programme at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. Since 1992, she has taught languages and trained EFL/ESL teachers in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Japan. In 2000-2001, she served as a U.S Department of State English Language Fellow in Venezuela. A 2000 graduate of the M.A. Program in Applied Linguistics and TESOL at UCLA, her professional interests include computeraccessed language learning, content-based instruction, curriculum design, and materials development. She frequently presents on the use of computers and the Internet in the ESL/EFL classroom and has recently contributed to several publications including Recipes for Wired Teachers, and an on-line newsletter for Japanese EFL students.
Top of Page
This site is maintained by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State. Links to other sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views contained therein.
ABOUT THE OFFICE
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
FAQ sheet Regional English Language Officers Worldwide
OFFICE OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROGRAMS

Home > English Language Programs > Electronic Journals
English Teaching Forum Electronic Journals

The Office of English Language Programs is pleased to offer the electronic journals Language and Civil Society and Language and Life Science to teachers of English as a foreign language. These journals contain ready-to-use lesson plans and are suitable for students at the intermediate level. Each chapter contains background information, classroom-ready activities, and related resources and references. Teachers are encouraged to download and use the lessons, adapting them to suit the need of their students.
PUBLICATIONS
English Teaching Forum Forum Electronic Journals
We welcome your feedback on what has worked (and what has not) when you
Publication Catalog Other Online Publications
have used the journals. Let us also know about your suggestions of topics for future journals.
PROGRAMS
Language and Civil Society
Language and Life Sciences
English Language Programming Worldwide English Language Specialists English Language Fellow Program U.S. Embassy English Teaching Programs and Binational Centers Worldwide English by Video Broadcast
Cloning
Civic Education Environmental Education Peace Education Business Ethics
Advances in Biotechnology
Mapping the Human Genome
Controversial Issues in Gene Research
Biotechnology OTHER RESOURCES and Crop Engineering
Employment Outside the United States American Embassies Worldwide Suggested links for TEFL Professionals
Drugs of the Future
Back to the top
This electronic journal is comprised of different volumes, each of which contains content rich material for language instruction. The content in each volume is related to an aspect of building or maintaining a Civil Society, topics that affect students' personal or professional lives on a daily basis. It is hoped that in using this content and working through the suggested activities, instructors and students will work toward a greater awareness and understanding of a global civil society as the students improve their communicative competence in English. The authors of the different volumes approach each chapter with a state-of-the-art perspective regarding language instruction, assuming certain universal understandings.
Language instructors realize that they are asked to teach more than just the rules of language and lists of vocabulary. They are asked to teach their students how to communicate in a new language. They are also asked to use authentic material and create an environment for using the language that is as realistic as possible. Language instructors realize that the content of their lessons must be meaningful and the activities engaging if the students are to be motivated and learning and acquisition are to take place. Also, instructors are asked to provide activities that engage the students to use the target language to communicate rather than just imitate.
Paradigms, theories, and techniques have been developed to aid the instructors in their tasks. The paradigm of content-based instruction gives the instructor the framework for combining the study of language with the learning or understanding of authentic content. Techniques such as scaffolding help to make the content more accessible to the student. Theories such as learning strategies and multiple intelligences help instructors to appropriately design their lessons for maximum benefit to each student's own academic culture. Choices of activities such as reading, discussion, and interviews aid the instructor to focus on
strengthening the students' basic language skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing) in an integrated way that will foster communication and promote the students' self-reliance in the target language.
Language and Civil Society A Forum Electronic Journal Published online by the Office of English Language Programs, U.S. Department of State, 1999 Editors Damon Anderson Melvia Hasman Internet Editor Rick Rosenberg Web Designer/Editor Susan Zapotoczny Graphic Designer Patricia Gipple
Selecting content to work with is often a difficult task for instructors. Concerns such as student interest and availability of appropriate material need to be taken into consideration. One axiom that stands out is that students are generally interested in topics that affect or touch on their daily lives (personal or professional). If the subject of the content is perceived as having a direct relationship to who they are or what they do, the students will most likely be interested and motivated, regardless of their age or position.
This electronic journal is designed to aid the English as a foreign language instructor in the task of finding and working with relevant and authentic material. The hope is to provide instructors with content rich material and exercises for the EFL class that students will find interesting and that will help students not only to improve their English but also better understand their place in the world's society as well as improve their critical thinking and analytical skills. Each volume contains ten chapters covering different topics related to the key issue of the volume (e.g., peace education, environmental education, civic education, and business ethics). Each chapter has four basic parts, including a brief background on and discussion of the topic(s) presented, classroom activities designed for a lower intermediate class (but which can be adapted to a more advanced level), other resources for authentic materials (internet, books, videos, etc.), and references for what has been presented.
Instructors are encouraged to read through the different volumes and select materials and exercises to download and share in their classes. The exercises should be adapted as necessary to make them as accessible and interesting to the students as possible. Comments regarding each volume may be made by clicking on the appropriate comments button. Suggestions for other exercises related to the issues presented are also welcome. We hope you find this site educational, interesting, and challenging.
The opinions expressed in this journal do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Government. The U.S. Department of State assumes no responsibility for the content and continued accessibility of Internet sites to which articles in this journal link; such responsibility resides solely with the providers. Copyrighted information will be noted. Articles may be reproduced and translated outside the United States unless there are specific copyright restrictions cited on the articles. Please respect international copyright laws and give proper citation and credit for any information you use from this site.
Preface
The Civic Education volume is designed specifically for language teachers who are turning toward content-based instruction to promote content learning and language learning in their classes. Through the exploration of topics related to civic education, language teachers can help their students master English and simultaneously become more knowledgeable citizens of the world. The combination of improved language skills and increased knowledge can enhance students' studies, work, and ability to become more active and conscientious participants in their communities.
The primary author for this volume is Dr. Fredricka Stoller. Fredricka L. Stoller is Associate Professor of English at Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, where she teaches in the Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) and Applied Linguistics graduate programs. Her professional interests include content-based instruction, language teaching methodology, curriculum design, materials development, and program administration. She has published numerous articles in the English Teaching Forum and has published in the TESOL Journal, Applied Linguistics, and Applied Language Learning. She co-edited a volume entitled A Handbook for Language Program Administrators (with Alta Book Center) and co-authored a reading text for developing readers entitled Javier Arrives in the US (Prentice Hall Regents). She has trained EFL teachers and language program administrators in many parts of the world including Bolivia, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Italy, Mexico, Morocco, Panama, Poland, Slokavia, and Tunisia. She is an active member of international TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages).
Table of Contents Civic Education Volume

q
Introduction
q
Chapter 1: Rights of the Individual

q
Chapter 2: Individual Freedoms: Freedom of Expression

q
Chapter 3: Individual Freedoms: Freedom of the Press

q
Chapter 4: Individual Responsibilities and Citizenship

q
Chapter 5: Responsibilities of the Government

q
Chapter 6: Rules and Laws

q
Chapter 7: Societal Dilemmas: Finding a Balance

q
Chapter 8: Societal Dilemmas: Gains and Losses

q
Chapter 9: Cultural Pluralism

q
Chapter 10: Building a Civil Society: Breaking Down Stereotypes
Return to Top
Preface
Welcome to the Environmental Education volume of the Forum's electronic journal Language and Civil Society. Each of the ten chapters in this volume will focus on a key environmental topic such as endangered animal species or rain forest depletion. Individual topics have been selected because of their global importance, as well as their interest and relevance to students of English as a foreign or second language around the world. Motivated by the excitement of using their English language skills to solve real-world problems, students are engaged, observant and active learners. As teachers work through the activities in this volume with their classes, their students will gain competence in English as well as learn how they can help preserve the world's delicate environment.
The primary author for this volume is Susan Stempleski. Susan Stempleski is Coordinator of Faculty Development at the Hunter College International English Language Institute of the City University of New York and teaches specialized methodology courses in the MA Program in TESOL at Columbia University Teachers College. Internationally recognized as an authority of the use of video and other electronic media in language teaching, she founded the Video Interest Section of the international TESOL association and is a past member of the TESOL Board of Directors. She is series editor of the ABC News intermediate ESL Video Library, ESL director and supervising editor of the Hello, America multimedia EFL course and co-author of the telecourse That's English. She has written more than 30 student texts and teacher resource books including Earth Watch, Focus on the Environment, Video in Action and Video in Second Language Teaching.
Table of Contents Environmental Education Volume

q
Introduction
q
Chapter 1: Endangered Species

q
Chapter 2: Air Pollution

q
Chapter 3: Human Population

q
Chapter 4: Rain Forests

q
Chapter 5: Oceans and Coasts

q
Chapter 6: Climate Change

q
Chapter 7: Energy Conservation

q
Chapter 8: The Ozone Layer

q
Chapter 9: Recycling and Reusing

q
Chapter 10: Waste Management Note: As chapters go online, we will include the date and a link to the chapter.
Return to Top
Preface
This volume of the Forums electronic journal Language and Civil Society offers tasks and activities related to Peace Education through content-based lessons. It is the goal of Peace Education to help students develop peacemaking skills to better cope with conflict in their daily lives and to promote peace in the world today. The ten chapters in this volume focus on topics such as conflict resolution, "non-violent" language, and cross-cultural understanding. Motivated by the excitement of using their English language skills to solve real-world problems, students will be engaged, observant, and active learners.
The primary author for this volume is Dr. Carolyn Duffy. Dr. Carolyn B. Duffy holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics from Georgetown University and is an Associate Professor of ESL and Director of English Language Programs at Saint Michaels College, Colchester, Vermont. She teaches ESL Intensive English students and in the graduate TESL/TEFL program. She also teaches in overseas centers in Greece and Colombia and has given workshops in content based language instruction in Greece, Indonesia, Venezuela, and Colombia. Her professional interests include materials development, curriculum design, second language acquisition, and language assessment. Her publications include the Heinemann TOEFL Preparation Course and Heinemann Practice Tests. She regularly presents at TESOL International and local TESOL affiliate conferences. In 1995 Professor Duffy was co-chair of the TESOL Summer Institute on Peace Education, which led to her interest in incorporating principles of peace education into ESL and EFL instructional materials and to her participation in the English Teaching Forums electronic journal Language and Civil Society.
Table of Contents Peace Education Volume

q
Introduction
q
Chapter 1: Defining Peace

q
Chapter 2: Analyzing Conflict

q
Chapter 3: Conflict Resolution

q
Chapter 4: Being Good Communicators: Listening Reflectively

q
Chapter 5: Speaking the Language of Peace

q
Chapter 6: Developing Cultural Understanding

q
Chapter 7: Cornerstones of Peace: Valuing Diversity and Practicing Tolerance

q
Chapter 8: Developing Empathy

q
Chapter 9: Expressions of Peace

q
Chapter 10: Promoting Peace through Action
Return to Top
Preface
This volume in the English Teaching Forum's electronic journal: Language and Civil Society, is devoted to Business Ethics. Some business practices traverse national and cultural boundaries. Others do not. In this volume, we will begin with a primary emphasis on business ethics as it relates to human rights, fairness, and justice. With a content-based language teaching approach, the materials presented in this volume will help English language teachers around the world who want to teach English for business ethics. The volume contains ten chapters. The chapters provide teachers summaries of information on business ethics and materials for use in classes and tutorials. Each chapter contains the following critical elements: accurate and helpful information about business ethics, useful activities (with handouts, overhead transparencies, and readings), a list of resources (on-line and others) to assist teachers, and finally, references for the information and materials used in the chapter.
The primary author for this volume is Dr. Lizabeth England. Liz England is Associate Professor of Intensive English and Coordinator for the Center of English as a Second Language at Marymount University, Arlington, VA. She has published and presented at conferences internationally - a textbook and several articles in a variety of specialty areas including ESP, professional development and ESP teacher education. She has managed a national curriculum revision project, supervised and taught ESL and EFL teachers at both the graduate and undergraduate level, has done teacher education workshops, presentations and short-term teacher training projects in the Czech Republic, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, Germany, Kuwait, Mexico, Senegal and Venezuela.
Table of Contents Business Ethics Volume

q
Introduction
q
Chapter 1: Principles of Business Ethics

q
Chapter 2: Ethics at Work - Leadership and Integrity

q
Chapter 3: Business Education Ethics and New Professionals

q
Chapter 4: Whistleblowing - Alerting Management to Unethical Practices

q
Chapter 5: Socially Responsible Business - Doing the Right Thing

q
Chapter 6: Mass Communications and Ethics - Television

q
Chapter 7: Intellectual Property: Yours, Mine, and Ours

q
Chapter 8: Ethical Investing - Put Your Ethics Where Your Money Is!
q
Chapter 9: Quality Standards

q
Chapter 10: Marketing With A Conscience: Sales and Ethics Note: As chapters go online, we will include the date and a link to the chapter.
Return to Top
Language & Life Sciences Home
Chapter 1 Mapping the Human Genome
by Donna M. Brinton, Christine Holten, and Jodi L. Nooyen

Background | Classroom Applications | Internet Resources | Appendices
Background
DNA, deoxyribonucleic acid, is the most important molecule ever discovered because it is the key to how all living things pass their traits on to the next generation. The search for DNA, specifically human DNA, has been selected as the topic of this first chapter because of what this discovery means for biology, medicine, law, and ethics. Some of the questions this chapter explores include:
q q q q q
What is DNA? What was the chain of discoveries that finally led scientists to their current understanding of DNA? How advanced is our current understanding of human DNA? What is the human genome project? What effects on society will the mapping of the human genome have?
Rather than focus on the scientific details of this discovery, this chapter gives an overview of the important concepts related to DNA's initial discovery and later
research conducted in this field. Teachers can use the lesson plans and materials to help students understand these fundamental concepts and gain a command of the vocabulary necessary to discuss them. Background Information It is a well-known fact that we inherit physical traits from our parents. If a child is left-handed, it is very likely that one of her parents writes with his or her left hand. If a boy's father is bald, he will have a greater chance of going bald when he gets older. While everyone knew that physical traits were inherited, it wasn't until the twentieth century that scientists discovered the biological key to this process: DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid. Finding DNA took almost 100 years. Now scientists are working to decode the DNA molecule. To do this, they must "read" each of the over 3 billion DNA letters in the human body. This decoding of human DNA, also known as the human genome project, will result in a map of the DNA in the human body. As former U.S. President Clinton said, "Without a doubt, this is the most important, most wondrous map ever produced by humankind." From 1866 to the present, many scientists have learned important things about how genes work. Below is a review of the important developments in DNA research. 1866 1860's Gregor Mendel, an Austrian monk, described basic elements of heredity (these are now called genes). Friedrich Miescher, a Swiss chemist, did research on the chemical composition of white blood cells. He discovered two types of molecules in the nucleus of the blood cellsribonucleic acid (RNA) and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). There were no major findings during this period. Scientists knew that DNA played some part in heredity, but its structure seemed too simple to play a major role. During this period, scientists thought that proteins (with their much more complex structure) played the most important role in heredity. At Columbia University in New York City, a medical student began to study whether chromosomes were made up of genes and if all cells in the body contained these genes. Frederick Griffith, an English physician, accidentally discovered a transforming factor while doing experiments with bacteria. When this factor was taken from one bacteria and put into another, it caused changes in the second bacteria. Griffith's colleague, Oswald Avery, conducted a 10-year study to identify the transforming factor. His experiments showed that neither proteins nor RNA carry genetic information. He then wondered if DNA was the transforming agent. To answer this question, he conducted an experiment. In it, he destroyed the DNA in the first bacteria. When the DNA was destroyed, no hereditary information was transmitted to the second bacteria. Avery then concluded that DNA causes changes in the second bacteria by transmitting traits from the first bacteria. James Watson, an American geneticist, and Francis Crick, a British biophysicist, discovered the structure of DNA. To do this, they used X-ray photographs of DNA taken by New Zealand biophysicist Maurice Wilkins. Until this time, it was not known how DNA made a copy of itself in order to transmit genetic information to other cells. In 1962, the three men won the Nobel Prize for their discovery. Marshall Nirenberg, an American biochemist, and Har Gobind Khorana, an American biochemist born in India, decoded DNA and discovered the building blocks of DNA. This code consists of four chemical units, represented by the letters A (adenine), T (thymine), C (cytosine), and G (guanine). Each string of letters produces a specific amino acid. When these amino acids are combined, they create human traits such as eye color and genetic diseases.
1870-1900
1902 1920's
1934
1953
1960's
1977
Frederick Sanger, a British biologist, developed a method to decode all of the DNA strings in one bacteria. This was the first living organism to be totally decoded. Agencies of the U.S. government funded a 15-year project to sequence the human genome. This is a map of the cell's inner workings and of all the chemicals produced by DNA that determine human characteristics and behavior. The Human Genome Project finishes sequencing the first human chromosome. Both the U.S. government-sponsored Human Genome Project and a privately funded research group announced that they have a draft of the first human genome.
1990 1999 June 2000
Just like many scientific discoveries in the past, this decoding of human DNA will undoubtedly have an impact on our future in ways that are almost unimaginable today. Understanding DNA promises to give us a better understanding of human biology, new diagnostic tests for certain hereditary diseases such as cerebral palsy and breast cancer, and possibly treatments or cures for diseases such as Alzheimer's, diabetes, and heart disease. It will also help companies create drugs that match a person's genetic profile. However, there are many things that still will not be known once the 3.4 billion or so chemical units in human DNA are coded. We won't fully know how many human genes there are in the human organism, and we won't fully know how genes interact with one another. While there is much work to be done mapping the human genome, scientific findings in the past decade have ensured that a more complete knowledge of human DNA and the contributions it will make to our lives will not occur in the distant future but in our own lifetimes.
Glossary Alzheimer's: A mental disorder that gradually destroys vital nerve cells in the brain. Symptoms include loss of memory, judgment, and reasoning, as well as changes in mood and behavior. It is not a normal part of aging. Amino Acid: Any of 20 basic elements that make proteins. Bacteria: A tiny one-cell organism that reproduces by cell division. Biologist: A person who studies plants, animals, and humans. Many biologists now do research on genetics. Cell (human): In biology, a structure surrounded by a membrane and containing genetic material (DNA) on the inside. Considered by most biologists to be the basic unit of life. Chromosome: In organisms without a nucleus (such as bacteria), this is a circular DNA molecule used in genetic engineering. In organisms with a nucleus (including plants and humans), this is one of the threadlike structures within the nucleus that contains DNA. Diabetes: A disorder caused by the body's decreased production or use of insulin (a hormone produced by the pancreas cells need to be able to use blood sugar). Diagnostic test: Tests used to identify a particular disease or characteristic. DNA: (deoxyribonucleic acid) A molecule in the form of a double helix , found within a structure known as a chromosome, within the nucleus of
every living cell. First discovered in the 19th century, it controls the daily operation of a cell, and provides the genetic "blueprint" for the physical characteristics of all living organisms. Gene: A small stretch of DNA that directs the production of proteins. A hereditary unit that occupies a specific position (locus) on the chromosome. This unit has a specific effect on the physical characteristics of the organism. Gene mapping: Finding the relative positions of genes on a DNA molecule (chromosome) and of the distance between them. Genetics: The study of heredity. Hereditary disease: A physical disorder that is inherited from parents or grandparents rather than caused by environmental factors. Heredity: The passing of certain traits from parents to their offspring through the genes. Human genome: The complete set of genes in a cell that creates a living organism. Human genome project: The scientific project to "read" the DNA of human chromosomes. Consists of not one project, but rather hundreds of separate research projects conducted throughout the world. The objective is to create a directory of the genes that can be used to answer questions such as what specific genes do and how they work. Inherited trait: Ways of looking or being that are caused by the genetic make-up or environment of a living organism. Learned traits: Ways of looking or being that are caused by the environment of a living organism. Molecule: A chemical entity consisting of two or more atoms of the same or different elements chemically bonded together. Nucleus (of a cell): The control center of the cell that contains chromosomes and controls the cell's actions. Organism: Any living thing, either vegetable or animal. Protein: The "building blocks" of our bodies that contain substances such as hormones and antibodies to regulate body functions. RNA: (ribonucleic acid) Like DNA, this is another molecule that is important in genetics. It is different from DNA because it is single stranded (not double stranded). Trait: Ways of looking or being. Traits that are genetic are passed down through the genes from parents to their children Transforming factor: Something that causes a change. White blood cells: Cells that circulate in the blood and work as part of the immune system to fight off "foreign bodies" that cause disease.
Return to Top This site is maintained by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State. Links to other sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views contained therein.
Chapter 2 Controversial Issues in Gene Research

Background
Scientists have recently completed a preliminary map of all the genes in the human body. This is also known as the Human Genome Project and consists of all the sequences of DNA chemical units that tell a cell how to behave. This accomplishment has incredible benefits. However, it also raises new, complex issues that society cannot ignore. This chapter explores the following questions:
q
What practical results has the Human Genome Project had? How do these scientific advances benefit us? What potential disadvantages do they have for individuals and society?
The chapter gives an overview of the technologies that have been developed as a direct result of DNA and genetic research. It also gives students the chance to debate the ethical questions surrounding this technology. Background Information
Reflecting on the ethical challenges created by genetic research findings, former U.S. President Bill Clinton said, As we consider how to use new discoveries, we must also not retreat from our oldest and most cherished values.... Increasing knowledge of the human genome must never change the basic belief on which our ethics, our government, our society are founded. All of us are created equal, entitled to equal treatment under the law. British Prime Minister Tony Blair also discussed the need to use this new technology responsibly: We cannot resist change, but our jobindeed, our dutyis to make sense of change, to help people through it, to seize the massive opportunities for better health and better quality of life and then, with equal vigor, to minimize the threats such developments pose. DNA testing: Advantages and Disadvantages The ongoing project to map the human genome affects all of us in several key areas. The first is DNA testing. This subfield of gene research uses tiny human tissue samples of 100200 cells (for example, blood, hair, saliva) to identify DNA patterns. These samples are used to establish a persons identity, for example, in (1) tests for blood relationships such as parenthood, (2) identification of criminals (rapists, murderers), and (3) proving the innocence of people falsely accused of a crime. In this testing, the DNA pattern of a persons hair, blood or saliva is matched with a similar DNA sample from a second person. For example, when establishing parenthood, DNA from the mother or father is matched with DNA from the fetus or child. When identifying criminals, DNA samples from the crime scene are matched with a suspects DNA. Some benefits of DNA testing are clear and unquestioned. It is a key tool in the criminal justice system, helping courts to discover whether a person suspected of committing a crime is guilty or innocent and helping police to find criminals. It has even been used to prove the innocence of criminals on death row many years after a crime was committed. In addition, it is replacing genealogy and family trees as a method for determining ancestry. A famous case is the link that was established between the children of Sally Hemmings, a black slave, and U.S. President Thomas Jefferson. Finally, this test has also been used to establish the identity of dead bodies. One example of this occurred several years ago when a body was removed from the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington D.C. and the identity of that soldier was determined. In most cases, DNA testing has been beneficial. However, for those who wish to hide their identity (such as fathers who do not want to take financial responsibility for their children), it has unwanted consequences. For families researching their background, it is much more reliable and less time-consuming than constructing the genealogy of a person. However, it can also reveal things that they do not want to know, forever changing a persons concept of family and self. Furthermore, DNA testing has become a business. Even funeral homes and burial services now offer to save DNA samples (e.g., hair, blood) for a fee. This raises questions of both privacy and ethics. What are the rights of the dead person? Who has access to these samples? How and where should they be stored? What happens to the samples if the storage company goes bankrupt? Genetic Testing for Diseases: Advantages and Disadvantages Genetic testing for diseases is also a significant part of our lives now. The sequencing of the human genome has made it possible to identify and link genes to diseases such as Tay-Sachs, diabetes, breast cancer, and even obesity. As these genes are identified, tests are also developed to detect their presence in human tissue samples. This technology is being put to use in several ways. It allows parents to identify the genetic features of a baby before it is born, young adults to determine whether they have inherited the genes for a particular disease, and scientists to create computer data banks that contain information from genetic testing. Below is a list of diseases that may be caused by damaged genes and an explanation of these diseases. Disease Effects End Results
Tay-Sachs
damage to the nervous system
affects children; incurable
Alzheimers
loss of memory
affects older people; incurable
diabetes
imbalance in an individuals blood sugar. If it is not controlled, it can damage an individuals eyes, kidneys and other organs.
one type begins in childhood; a second type begins in adulthood; controllable with medication
Huntingtons
a degenerative brain disorder. It slowly diminishes an individuals ability to walk, think, talk and reason.
affects people aged thirty to forty; incurable
Lou Gehrigs or ALS
affects and eventually destroys an individuals voluntary muscle action. Patients in the later stages of the disease become totally paralyzed.
Affects middle aged adults; incurable
Multiple sclerosis
slowly destroys the central nervous system
affects people in their 20s and 30s; often results in paralysis and death, although not everyone with the disease dies.
Sickle Cell Anemia
misformed red blood cells cause pain, damage, low blood count, and anemia. It can damage major organs such as kidneys and eyes.
afflicts certain ethnic groups; may lead to death
Breast cancer
malignant cells in the breast
affects women; can be controlled with surgery and drugs, but may lead to death
Colon cancer
malignant cells found in the colon or rectum
affects men and women; can cause death
Ovarian cancer
malignant cells found in womens reproductive organs
affects women; usually leads to death
Although this area of research appears to be similar to DNA testing, it has more potential disadvantages. While genetic testing allows parents to determine if their unborn baby will suffer from any life-threatening illnesses or profound mental defects, it also brings with it the possibility that parents might try to create designer babies. Genetic testing gives adults access to information about inherited diseases that can be successfully controlled or treated through changes in lifestyle or medication. However, if the disease is incurable and devastating (for example, Alzheimers, Huntingtons, Lou Gehrigs disease), living with this knowledge may be more of a curse than a blessing. It may affect peoples decisions about whether to have children or to get married. In short, it may change their lives completely. In extreme cases, it may even lead them to consider or attempt suicide. We may have too much faith in genetic testing. Because of these tests, we tend to believe that our genetic inheritance is our destiny. However, the tests themselves are problematic in several ways. First, they are not always 100 percent accurate. The technology is still relatively new and the results of genetic tests, like any other medical tests, can be misinterpreted. Second, even if a test shows that an individual carries the gene for a disease, this does not necessarily mean that he or she will get the disease. Other factors such as lifestyle, diet, and even the environment may have more effect upon a persons health than the presence of the gene. Thus, while information from genetic testing may provide important clues about our health, it should not change the way that we define ourselves. In addition to these practical and ethical concerns about genetic testing, this technology may threaten a persons right to privacy. Since the information from genetic testing is stored in a computer, it can be accessedboth by those who have legal right to see it (for example, a doctor) and those who do not (an employer). An important concern here is that insurance companies, employers, and the media might find information and use it against an individual, for example, to deny them insurance coverage or to fire them from a job. Similarly, in an election campaign, the media might reveal medical information about a candidate that would seriously hurt his or her chances of being elected. Benefits and Dangers of Gene Therapy In addition to genetic testing, which detects diseases, scientists are beginning to develop therapies to treat diseases that have a genetic origin. This therapy works in two ways. In the first, gene transfer, researchers replace bad DNA with good DNA. In the second, gene repair, researchers block or stop the action of a harmful gene. These therapies are still highly experimental, and there have been numerous side effects during testing such as fevers, abnormal blood clotting, partial paralysis, and even death. One extreme instance of such problems happened with Jessie Gelsinger, who died after receiving genetic therapy at the University of Pennsylvania in the U.S.. Doctors inserted a cold virus into Gelsingers liver in order to cure his genetic disease. Instead, the therapy caused his immune system to attack and destroy not only the harmful virus but also his heart, liver , and kidneys. This case is especially regrettable because scientists encouraged the patient to undergo this therapy, but did not tell him about the potential dangers. In addition to the physical dangers of gene therapy, there are also ethical issues. At what stage in a persons illness will gene therapy be usedas soon as the illness is discovered or only after all other traditional methods have failed? Who will be responsible for conducting gene therapyuniversity researchers, medical doctors, or pharmaceutical companies? Who will have access to this expensive technologypeople in rich, developed countries or people in poorer, developing areas of the world? These and other questions will continue to concern society as DNA and gene technology advance.
Glossary Afflict: Cause pain or suffering. Ancestry: The descendants or blood relative of one individual. Blood clotting: A process in which liquid blood changes into a semisolid (a blood clot). Carrier: An individual who does not show symptoms of a disease but has the genes for it and can transfer it to his/her child. Cell (human): In biology, a structure surrounded by a membrane and containing genetic material (DNA) on the inside. Considered by most biologists to be the basic unit of life. Chromosome: In organisms without a nucleus (such as bacteria), this is a circular DNA molecule used in genetic engineering. In organisms with a nucleus (including plants and humans), this is one of the threadlike structures within the nucleus that contains DNA. Conduct: To act, guide, or manage (usually conduct research or experiments). Convict: To find or prove (someone) guilty of an offense or crime, especially through the verdict of a court. Destiny: Fate. A future that an individual cannot control. Detect: To notice; to find; often used to describe the discovery of a disease. Devastating: Terrible; causing great harm. DNA: (deoxyribonucleic acid) A molecule in the form of a double helix , found within a structure known as a chromosome, within the nucleus of every living cell. First discovered in the 19th century, it controls the daily operation of a cell, and provides the genetic "blueprint" for the physical characteristics of all living organisms. DNA testing: The analysis of human DNA, RNA, chromosomes, and proteins in order to detect the presence or potential presence of an inheritable disease. Ethics: A set of principles of proper conduct. A system of moral values. Extinct: No longer existing or living. Gene: A small stretch of DNA that directs the production of proteins. A hereditary unit that occupies a specific position (locus) on the chromosome. This unit has a specific effect on the physical characteristics of the organism and can house one of many different allele forms (each allele causes a different trait).
Genealogy: A record or chart of a persons extended family going back many generations; a family tree. Genetic make-up: All the chromosomes and the information they contain. The genes of an individual. Genetic testing: The checking of an individual's genetic material to predict present or future disability or disease, either in the individual or his/her children. Gene therapy (human): Insertion of normal DNA directly into cells to correct a genetic defect. Gene transfer: The movement of genetic material (DNA) from the laboratory into a human subject. Human genome: The full collection of genes in a human being. Human genome project: The scientific project to "read" the DNA of human chromosomes. Consists of not one project, but rather hundreds of separate research projects conducted throughout the world. The objective is to create a directory of the genes that can be used to answer questions such as what specific genes do and how they work.. Immune system: A system which protects the body from disease causing agents. Inherited disease: A disease or disorder that is inherited genetically. Liver: An organ in the body which helps with metabolism, digestion, detoxification, and elimination of substances from the body. Malignant cells: Cells that grow uncontrollably. Obesity: The condition of having excessive body fat. Paralysis: The loss of motor functions; the inability to move ones muscles. Pharmaceutical companies: Companies that make drugs or medicines. Potential: 1. Possible. 2. Able to grow and develop. Side effect: An unexpected, usually undesirable reaction to a medicine or therapy. Tissue sample (human): A small portion of a group of similar cells taken for research of medical purposes. Trial: The formal presentation of evidence and arguments when a person is accused of a crime. Undergo: To experience; to endure; to suffer.
Chapter 3 Cloning

Background
Ever since Gregor Mendel discovered how to manipulate traits in plants, people have been able to clone plant life relatively simplyeven in their own gardens. However, cloning animals was only possible in the imagination of science fiction writers. Thus, the world was shocked in 1997 to learn that scientists at the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh, Scotland had cloned a Finn Dorset sheep named Dolly. The success of this experiment has opened the door to cloning other animal life. In the years following the cloning of Dolly, scientists successfully cloned mice, pigs, cows, chickens, and even more exotic animals such as the endangered gaur, a humpbacked relative of a cow from Southeast Asia. This type of research could bring great benefits to humans; but it also raises ethical and moral concerns. Some of the questions this chapter explores include:
q
What is cloning? How is cloning different from previous methods used to breed plants and animals? What process was used to clone Dolly the sheep? How might we use this new technology? What are the benefits and potential drawbacks of cloning?
This chapter will give students a basic understanding of how cloning works and how it is currently being applied. It will also examine future uses of cloning, including the possibility of cloning humans. Teachers can use the lesson plans and materials to help students gain a basic understanding of these fundamental concepts and a command of the vocabulary necessary to discuss them.
Frequently Asked Questions about Cloning 1. What is cloning? Unlike sexual reproduction, which combines the genetic material of two individuals, cloning involves creating a new organism or individual by copying the genetic material of only one original organism. Cloning can be done in two ways: (1) fission, a cell dividing into two cells or (2) mitosis, the nucleus of a cell dividing with each chromosome splitting into two. 2. Which organisms are the most frequently cloned today? Plants. For centuries, people have taken roots or stems of plants in order to make genetically identical copies. Usually this is done by choosing the best plant (for example, the most decorative or unusual), cutting a root or branch from it, and placing that cutting in water or soil. The cells will then divide and double in size every six weeks until the cutting develops roots. At this point, it is ready to be planted. It will then grow into an exact copy of the parent plant. 3. What is the most famous case of cloning? Dolly the sheep. In 1997, scientists successfully cloned an adult mammal, the Finn Dorset sheep Dolly. Overnight, she became the most famous animal in the world. Although the technology used to clone Dolly was experimental at the time, it has proven useful in the years since she first appeared. Now, scientists are cloning cows, chickens, and pigs. They are also able to produce clones from animal fetal cells quite easily. 4. What is the difference between cloning and breeding? For years, specialists in animal husbandry have been able to breed characteristics in and out of animals, thereby creating improved animal breeds. For example, dog breeders have been able to control the genetic makeup of species to obtain certain physical characteristics such as eye or fur color, size, or special abilities such as speed or herding. Breeding, however, is different from cloning in two ways. First, it can only be done with embryonic cells (cells that result in the production of offspring). Second, breeding does not produce an exact replica. Breeders can calculate the probability of obtaining a certain trait, but to actually obtain this trait they may have to try several times. With cloning, scientists can choose any healthy individual whose characteristics they wish to clone and create an exact copy by using cells from that animal. 5. How does cloning work? In its most basic form, cloning involves three steps. In the first step, scientists take cells from an individual whose characteristics they want to copy. They place these cells, which are called donor cells, into a liquid culture. This culture contains nutrients and stops the cells from dividing. In the second step, an unfertilized egg is taken from a female. Its nucleus is removed, leaving an empty egg cell. The donor cell is then placed into the empty egg. This process creates an embryo that is an exact copy of the donor and not the mother. In the final step, the embryo is put into the uterus of a female of the species and arrives into the world via the natural birth process. 6. Is cloning unnatural? No, cloning already occurs in nature. In fact, the only way that many organisms (for example, bacteria, yeast, snails, and shrimp) can reproduce is through cloning. Mammals reproduce naturally only through sexual reproduction. Thus, only scientists working in a laboratory can clone a mammal. The problem with cloning, however, is that it does not improve the genetic makeup of a species.
7. What is the difference between an identical twin and a clone? Both identical twins and clones consist of the exact same genetic material. But a clone cannot be considered an identical twin of the donor because it does not share the same time in the womb. Twins experience the same environmental factors before birth (such as nutrition and exposure to stress, hormones, alcohol, and drugs), which play an enormous role in their physical and mental development. The clone, on the other hand, only shares genetic material with its donor and lacks the pre-natal environmental exposure of an identical twin. 8. Could cloning be used to produce vital organs for transplant? Hypothetically yes. The only way to do this, however, would be to reproduce the entire individual, including its organs. This practice would raise ethical questions. Time is also a problem. It would take a long time for a donors organs to be mature enough to be removed from the donor and used for transplant. In addition, scientists are unsure whether transplanted organs from cloning would be accepted or rejected by the recipient individual. 9. Could endangered species be saved through cloning? Possibly. At the present time, the success of this is unlikely. It took 276 tries to clone Dolly the sheep. But if the success rate of cloning increases, it could be a way to increase the population of endangered species or animals that are difficult to breed. 10. Could extinct species be revived using cloning? This would be more difficult. Cloning extinct animals poses two problems. First, donor cells must be taken from living organisms. Unless an extinct animal is found completely frozen (such as the wooly mammoth recently discovered in the Arctic), it would be impossible to find living cells. For example, because the fossil bones of dinosaurs contain no living cells, a dinosaur cannot be cloned. Second, current cloning technology requires a surrogate mother and an egg cell from a living female of the same species. Females normally cannot give birth to an animal from a different species. It is unlikely, for instance, that a female elephant could donate an egg cell and give birth to a wooly mammoth. 11. What are the benefits of cloning? We are more certain of obtaining desired traits through cloning than through conventional breeding. For example, cloning could benefit crop engineering by creating foods that are more nutritious, disease free, and plentiful. Cloning could also help in the prevention and cure of diseases. For instance, the same laboratory that created Dolly the sheep is now working to create eggs that contain anticancer proteins to prevent various forms of cancer (such as fast growing forms of skin cancer). Dolly herself was cloned to produce a sheep whose milk had more proteins that are believed to help treat diseases such as emphysema, hemophilia, and cystic fibrosis. 12. What are the disadvantages of cloning? One potential disadvantage of cloning is that breeding humans would become easier. While we have done this for centuries with other large animals such as race horses, cloning humans raises moral and ethical concerns. There is great potential for abuse if humans are able to design their offspring. The ability to breed in or out certain traits would raise questions of how tall or how intelligent we would want our children to be, or what color skin and eyes we would want them to have. These are questions that make us uncomfortable. In addition, it would be problematic to invest so much in changing or improving human genetic makeup because we might ignore the impact that the environment has on an individuals development. A further problem is that clones could be misused, for example, as spare part tissues and organs or as slave labor. Glossary Breed: To produce (offspring); give birth or hatch. Clone: A population of identical molecules, cells, or organisms derived from a common source. Because no genetic material is combined (as in sexual reproduction), a clone is genetically identical to the parent. Consent: To indicate or express a willingness.
Culture: Microorganisms, tissue cells, or other living matter grown in a specially prepared nutrient medium. Crop: Cultivated plants or agricultural produce, such as grains, vegetables, or fruit. Cystic fibrosis: (Abbreviation CF) A hereditary disease that usually develops during early childhood and mainly affects the pancreas, respiratory system, and sweat glands. It usually results in chronic respiratory infections and impaired pancreatic function. Dinosaur: Any of various extinct, often gigantic reptiles. Donor: One from whom blood, tissue, or an organ is taken for use in a transfusion or transplant. (Note: can also be used as an adjective, as in embryonic donor cells. Embryonic: 1. Of or relating to an embryo; 2. Of an organism prior to birth or hatching; as in in the embryonic stage. Emphysema: An abnormal condition of the lungs characterized by decreased respiratory function; associated with smoking, chronic bronchitis, or old age. Endangered: Faced with the danger of extinction: an endangered species. Fertilize: Make fertile or productive 2. Introduce semen into (a female). Fetal: Of, relating to, characteristic of, or being a fetus: a fertilized egg. Fission: An asexual (non-sexual) reproductive process in which a one-cell organism divides into two or more independently maturing cells. Fossil: A remnant or trace of an organism of a past geologic age, such as a skeleton or leaf imprint, embedded and preserved in rock. Gaur: A large East Indian species of wild cattle. For more information: http://www.nature.ca/notebooks/english/gaur.htm Gregor Mendel: Founder of the science of genetics (18221884). An Austrian monk and botanist. Hemophilia: A genetic blood disorder in which the blood fails to clot normally. This disorder is hereditary and is due to a deficiency in or an abnormality of one of the clotting factors. Hemophilia is manifested almost exclusively in males. Hormone: A naturally occurring substance secreted by specialized cells that affects the behavior of other cells. Husbandry: 1.The act or practice of cultivating crops and breeding and raising livestock; agriculture. 2. The application of scientific principles to agriculture, especially to animal breeding. Implant: 1. To put an object or a device in a person or animal via surgery. Manipulate: To handle and move in an examination or for therapeutic purposes: manipulate a joint; manipulate the position of a fetus during delivery.
Mitosis: The entire process of cell division including division of the nucleus and the cytoplasm. Nucleus: A large circular structure within a living cell that contains the cell's hereditary material and controls its metabolism, growth, and reproduction. Offspring: A child; a daughter or son. Organism: An individual life form, such as a plant or an animal; a body made up of organs or other parts that work together to carry out the various processes of life. Protein: The principal constituent of all cells, essentially consisting of combinations of amino acids and peptide linkages. Reject: To resist the introduction of (a transplanted organ or tissue); fail to accept as part of one's own body. Replicate: To make an exact copy or copies of (genetic material, a cell, or an organism). Reproduce: To generate offspring by sexual or asexual (non-sexual) means. Roots: The usually underground portion of a plant that serves as support, draws minerals and water from the surrounding soil, and sometimes stores food. Surrogate: One that takes the place of another; a substitute: a surrogate mother. Trait: A genetically determined characteristic or condition: a recessive trait. Transplant: To transfer (tissue or an organ) from one body or body part to another. Uterus: A hollow muscular organ located in the pelvic cavity of female mammals in which the fertilized egg implants and develops. Also called a womb. Via: 1. By way of. 2. By means of. Vital: Necessary to the continuation of life; life-sustaining: a vital organ, vital nutrients. Woolly mammoth: Hairy extinct mammoth common in colder portions of the northern hemisphere. For more information: http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/landofmammoth/dispatches/dispatch.html Womb: A hollow muscular organ located in the pelvic cavity of female mammals in which the fertilized egg implants and develops. Also called a uterus.
Chapter 4 Biotechnology and Crop Engineering

Background
The way that plants are bred has changed completely because of biotechnology and gene research. In fact, scientists can now introduce traits from other plants and even animals into the genetic makeup of a particular plant. Such genetic changes can increase crop yield, change growing patterns, and improve plant taste or health. Some of the questions this chapter explores include:
q q q q
What is crop engineering? How has biotechnology changed methods of plant breeding? What are the benefits and potential disadvantages of this new technology? What will crop engineering mean around the world?
This chapter will give students a basic understanding of areas in which crop engineering is being used today. It also explores the controversies surrounding
genetically modified foods and the different worldwide reactions to this technology. Teachers can use the lesson plans and materials to give students an understanding of these concepts and a command of the vocabulary necessary to discuss them. Background Information For more than 10,000 years, farmers have been experimenting with plants to find the best seeds to grow plentiful crops. In the mid 19th century, Gregor Mendel, an Austrian monk, began scientific experiments to produce a better pea. This new science of plant breeding allowed scientists not only to grow more plentiful crops but also to create plants that resist insects, disease, and drought. However, since success depended on locating a desirable plant trait and breeding it over a number of years until the ideal plant species was created, this method was very labor intensive and required long periods of time. Over the past 20 years, biotechnology has dramatically changed methods of plant breeding. Today, biotechnology allows scientists to move specific genes from one species to another to produce changes. It also makes conventional plant breeding more efficient by allowing scientists to select and transfer only genes for desired traits. Plants created using biotechnology are generally referred to as genetically modified (GM) or transgenic plants. Perhaps the best-known example of a GM plant is golden rice. Created through the efforts of Ingo Potrykus, a professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, this crop was genetically modified to contain beta-carotene (or vitamin A). This vitamin improves the rices nutritional value and could improve the lives of millions of people for whom this is a primary food. It was Potrykuss dream that this enriched golden rice (so-called because of its pale yellow color) would feed hungry children all over the world. Since rice does not naturally contain beta-carotene, Potrykus needed to find a way to change the genetic makeup of normal rice. He and his colleagues introduced genes from daffodils and a bacteria into the genetic code of normal rice. They also infected white rice with another bacteria for beta-carotene. This new transgenic rice plant could then be bred with rice that grew well in different climates. In addition to golden rice, other crops have been produced through biotechnology. These include cotton that has the ability to fight off boll weevils and corn and papaya that resist viruses. Potrykuss dream of feeding millions with genetically modified crops is now a reality. Over 60% of foods sold in the United States today contain GM food ingredients. In many developing nations GM foods are improving the nutritional content of what people eat. The benefits are obvious. Before genetic modification, in experiments to produce new plants, scientists used either radiation or powerful chemicals on plants to produce genetic changes. Transgenic technology does not require this dangerous practice, thereby making the GM foods that we eat safer. Farmers who grow plants that have a genetic resistance to insects and disease do not need to use pesticides, which is good for the environment. Additionally, the technology needed to genetically engineer crops also requires little equipment. This means that farmers in developing nations, who are often unable to afford pesticides or expensive farming equipment, can produce and use genetic modification. Finally, transgenic crops can improve the nutritional value of foods, such as rice and corn, which are very important in the diets of people throughout the world. This means that a bowl of golden rice could prevent children in Southeast Asia from getting an eye disease caused by insufficient vitamin A. Similarly, a tortilla made from GM corn could satisfy the daily nutritional needs of a child in Central America, even if fruits, vegetables, or meat were not available. The worlds population is growing, but the amount of land available to grow food is not. Genetic crop engineering might be an important way to improve global health and feed the worlds population by enabling farmers to produce more food more efficiently. However, GM foods have also been called Frankenfoods (after the fictional monster Frankenstein, who is the symbol of uncontrolled and dangerous science). People are beginning to worry that Frankenfoods are harmful to their health and to the environment. One of the biggest concerns is that GM plants could become toxic to human beings. For example, changing some of a plants genes could accidentally cause other inactive genes to become active. In a recent case, people who ate a certain brand of corn taco shells complained of becoming violently ill. Their symptoms, which included rashes, diarrhea, and vomiting, are possibly linked to the genetically modified corn used in the taco shells. Another concern is that people who have food allergies (such as nut allergies or shellfish allergies) may accidentally eat a food to which they are allergic. Such accidents have become more likely because scientists sometimes introduce a gene from a nut or a fish into corn to produce a desired trait.
In addition to worries related to human health, critics also worry about the effects on animals and other plants. For example, what if a gene that makes a crop plant insect resistant were passed to a wild plant? This could create super weeds that would be difficult if not impossible to kill. What if animals or insects ate GM crops that were toxic to them? In an actual case, butterflies that touched pollen from GM corn either died or developed abnormally. Farmers also worry that insects exposed to insect-resistant GM crops will become immune to the toxin in the crop. At present there is little scientific evidence that GM crops are a direct danger to human health or to the environment. Further studies need to be done to determine the long-term effects of this technology. In addition, at least in the United States, both manufacturers and the government test GM products before selling them to the public. However, consumers have complained about GM foods, in part because the foods have been modified, but also because they feel the manufacturers are deceiving the public. The manufacturers have not provided clear information about the presence of genetically modified foods through advertising, package labeling, lists of ingredients, and other important consumer information.
Glossary Allergy: (allergic, adjective) An abnormally high sensitivity to certain substances, such as pollens or foods. Common symptoms may include sneezing, itching, and skin rashes. Beta-carotene: Gives a reddish color to plants such as carrots and tomatoes. The liver can convert it into vitamin A. Food sources of this vitamin include vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, and other leafy green vegetables; and fruit such as cantaloupes and apricots (also see vitamin A). Biotechnology: A set of biological techniques developed through basic research. Now applied to research and product development. In particular, the use by industry of recombinant DNA, cell fusion, and new bioprocessing techniques. Modern biotechnology products include antibiotics, insulin, interferon, and techniques such as waste recycling. Much older forms of biotechnology include breadmaking, cheese making, and brewing wine and beer. Boll weevil: A worm that infects and kills cotton crops Breed (v) bred (irregular past tense): To develop new or improved kinds of animals or plants, chiefly through controlled mating and selection of offspring for desirable traits. Climate: The weather in a location averaged over a long period of time. Conduct: To do or manage an activity. Further studies need to be conducted Crop: (1) Cultivated plants (plants planted by farmers) or agricultural produce, such as grains, vegetables, or fruit. (2) The total amount of such produce harvested in a particular season or place. Crop engineering (or Genetic Crop Engineering): The manipulation of a plants genetic makeup by introducing, enhancing, or eliminating specific genes through modern molecular biology techniques. Crop yield: Total products (e.g. vegetables) resulting from growth or cultivation.
Daffodil: A kind of flower. Diarrhea: Frequent and watery bowel movements, often accompanied with stomach pain. Drought: A long period of abnormally low rainfall, especially one that negatively affects growing or living conditions. Enrich (v), enriched (adj): To add nutrients to: The dairy enriched its milk with vitamin D. Frankenfood : A negative way to refer to GM foods, named after the fictional monster Frankenstein http://home-1.worldonline.nl/~hamberg/, who is a symbol of out of control science. Gene: A hereditary unit that determines a particular characteristic in an organism. Genes exist in a number of different forms and can undergo mutation. Gene research: The study of genes and genetics. Genetic makeup / Genetic code: The entire DNA coding of an organism. Genetically modified (GM) food (or plant, crop) (n): The agricultural products of genetic engineering technology, for example, the introduction, enhancement, or deletion of particular characteristics in an organism by altering its DNA (genetic makeup). Examples of such modified foods or foods that will likely be modified in the near future include: apples, canola, corn, grapevines, lentils, lettuce, maize, papaya, peas, pineapples, potatoes, soy beans, sugarcane, tomatoes, and wheat. Genetically modify (v): The use of modern biotechnology to change the genetic makeup of an organism (a plant) by inserting individual gene(s) that have been isolated in the laboratory into the genome of a living organism. Golden rice: A genetically engineered form of rice (http://www.biotech-info.net/golden.html) which has been infused with vitamin A (a vitamin not usually found in rice). Gregor Mendel: Founder of the science of genetics (1822-1884). An Austrian monk and botanist. His breeding experiments on garden peas and subsequent formulation of the laws of heredity formed the basis for the study of genetics. Immune (v) (Immunity, (n): Protected against, infectious disease. Ingredient: One part of a mixture or recipe. Insect resistant: Description of a plant that is not affected (or is affected only minimally) by insects. Monarch butterfly: A type of butterfly common in North America. http://www.learner.org/jnorth/sm/aboutmbsf.html Nutrition: (1) Foods necessary for a healthy diet. (2) The physical and chemical process by which food is converted into body tissue.
Pollen: The powder produced by seed plants, and most plentiful in Spring. A common cause of allergic reactions. Pesticide: A chemical that is used to kill unwanted organisms such as rats or weeds. These chemicals often act as nerve poisons, and they are hazardous to animals and humans. Some pesticides can cause nerve or liver damage, birth defects, and cancer in humans. Plant breeding: The genetic modification of crop plants, with the hopes of improving insect resistance and the nutritional content, as well as creating plants with high yield and enhanced quality. Plant trait: A genetically determined characteristic of a plant such as its height, resistance to insects and bad weather, and its typical crop yield. Rash: A skin eruption or reddening of the skin, often with itchiness. Resistant (adj) Resist (verb) Resistance (noun): (1) Relating to or conferring immunity (to disease or infection) (2) incapable of being affected disease resistant. Seed: The fertilized ripened ovule of a flowering plant containing an embryo and capable normally of germination to produce a new plant. Shellfish: Any aquatic animal whose external covering consists of a shell, for example, oysters, clams, lobsters, and crabs. Symptom: Any evidence of disease or of a patients condition as perceived by the patient, diagnosis, or a change in a patients condition. Toxic: Poisonous. Trait: A genetically determined characteristic or condition. Transgenic: Having genes that have been transferred from another species or breed, for example, a transgenic plant, transgenic rice, transgenic technology, transgenic crops, and transgenic foods. Transfer (v): The movement of something from one place to another. Violently ill: Extremely sick. Vitamin A: A vitamin occurring principally in fish-liver oils, milk, and some yellow and dark green vegetables. Its deficiency causes hardening and roughening of the skin, night blindness, and degeneration of mucous membranes. Vomit (v): To lose the stomach contents through the mouth, often when feeling ill. Weed (n): A plant considered undesirable, unattractive, or troublesome, especially one growing where it is not wanted, as in a garden.
Chapter 5 Drugs of the Future

Background
New understanding of human genetics will not only make it easier to diagnose diseases, it will also change how diseases are treated. Scientists and drug companies are using knowledge from the Human Genome Project to find cures for everything from cancer to obesity (see chapter 1: Mapping the Human Genome). This new medicine is called "genomic" medicine. This chapter will address the following questions:
q
How is genomic medicine different from traditional medicine? What diseases are scientists studying? How will people take these new drugs? What are the practical and ethical issues of gene-based medicines for modern medicine and human society?
This chapter examines the procedures used to develop gene-based treatments and drugs. It also looks at several cases in which genomic medicine was successful where traditional medicine had failed. Teachers can use the lesson plans and materials to acquaint students with the basic concepts genomic
medicine, to give them an opportunity to discuss the possible effects of these improvements in medical treatment, and to encourage them to think about how their own future may change as a result of genomic medicine.
Background Information As scientists complete the sequencing of the human genome, they are using this information to create new ways of fighting disease-especially life-threatening diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer's, obesity, and heart disease. Until now, doctors really haven't been able to cure these diseases using drugs; they could only treat and control the symptoms. In the case of heart disease, physicians have been treating high blood pressure with one of six different medicines. But first they have to decide which of the six drugs to use; the first one they choose might not successfully control the disease. If the drugs are successful, the symptoms decrease; however, the high blood pressure itself is not cured. Future drug therapy will be very different. Genomic medicine, which is still experimental, will allow doctors not only to treat the symptoms but also to cure the disease itself. Using drugs that have been developed with knowledge of the human genome, doctors will be able to identify and kill sick cells while not hurting healthy cells. They will do this by "turning on and off" proteins, the body's building blocks. In other words, they will use genomic drugs to help good proteins within the body fight the bad cells. Doctors hope to be able to treat patients with genomic drugs even before they become sick. They will also be able to customize drugs to treat a disease in an individual patient. To create drugs for individual patients, it has been necessary for scientists to locate only a few useful genes hidden among billions of other genes, similar to finding a needle in a haystack. This has required international research teams and very advanced technology. Scientists have already begun using their new knowledge to create anticancer drugs. " Smart bombs," which contain antibodies that already exist in the human body, are one type of new anticancer drug. Researchers believe that smart bombs are able to hunt and kill cancer cells without killing the healthy cells that surround them. But before they could create these smart bombs, they had to find the genes related to these antibodies. To do this, they took genetic fragments from gene sequences they had already identified. They then looked through the human genome database to find DNA that matched these fragments and found 7000 possibly responsible genes. Then, using a sophisticated computer, they compared these gene fragments to those in cancer cells stored in a laboratory. Only 200 genes matched those active in all cancer cells. To narrow the possibilities even further, scientists next compared these 200 genes with cells from patients who currently have cancer to see which genes were found most often. This entire process narrowed the number of genes most frequently found in cancer patients from possibly thousands to only several dozen. Once the small number of genes has been found, the process of developing a drug begins. To do this, scientists test the antibodies they have located in laboratory animals such as mice. Later, they begin to study the effects of these antibodies on humans who suffer from cancer. Once this process has been completed, the drug is reviewed by a government agency. If approved, the drug can then be sold. Research on smart bombs has created drugs now being tested on patients with colon, head, and neck cancer to prevent the growth and spread of cancer cells. One such experimental drug has successfully reduced or eliminated head and neck tumors in 8 out of 30 cases of patients who took it along with chemotherapy. Scientists are also working on creating drugs that carry small amounts of radioactive isotopes, or poisons, that will kill cancer cells without destroying healthy cells in other parts of the body. Such research may lead to newer and better drugs that can be used to fight and even cure different types of cancer. Not only will the types of drugs that people take in the future be very different, but also the ways in which people receive treatment may change. Big needles may be replaced by other methods of injecting drugs into the body. Some drugs (including antibiotics) may be taken using inhalers, which are now used mostly by people with asthma. To replace many drugs that are now taken in pill or liquid form, scientists are now experimenting with skin patches and ultrasonic devices. The ultimate objective of the scientists who are working on new genomic drugs and on new ways of administering them is to produce a "magic" cure. Such a miracle drug would be smart enough to direct itself to the source of the problem in the human body, figure out what it needed to do, and cure the problem.
Glossary AIDS: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. First reported in 1981, it has since become a major global epidemic, killing over 10 million people and infecting tens of millions more. The disease is caused by HIV, a virus that destroys the body's ability to fight infections and certain cancers. Go to the NHGRI glossary (see below) for more information. Alzheimer's: A mental disorder that gradually destroys vital nerve cells in the brain. Symptoms include loss of memory, judgment and reasoning, and changes in mood and behavior. It is not a normal part of aging. Antibiotics: Drugs that fight infections. Antibodies: Protein molecules produced by the body to fight infection or disease. Artery: Blood vessel carrying blood away from the heart. Arthritis: An inflammatory condition that often causes pain, swelling, and stiffness in the joints, often making even minor movements uncomfortable or painful. Blood pressure: The pressure caused by the blood moving against the walls of the blood vessels, especially the arteries. It varies with the strength of the heartbeat, the flexibility of the arterial walls, the amount of the blood, and a person's health, age, and physical condition. Normal adult blood pressure is 120/80. If a person has high blood pressure, medication is often prescribed to lower the pressure. Cancer: A general term for more than 100 diseases that are characterized by uncontrolled and rapid growth of abnormal cells. Cancer cells can spread locally or through the bloodstream to other parts of the body. Chemotherapy: The treatment of cancer using specific chemical agents or drugs that harm fast-growing cells. This treatment kills fast-growing cancer cells, but often harms other fast-growing cells as well, such as the cells for hair and fingernails. Cholesterol: A white substance found in many foods that is an important element in cell walls in the body. An unusually high level of cholesterol in the blood is often a symptom of heart disease. Colon: A section of the large intestine, in the digestive tract. The total length is approximately 5 feet (approx. 150 centimeters) in the adult. It is responsible for forming, storing, and expelling waste. Diagnose: To identify a person as having a certain disease or condition. Genomic: (adj.) (medicine, treatment, drugs, researchers) Using genetic material or research.
Heart disease: A problem that prevents the heart from working normally. This problem can be with the heart's shape or how the heart works, or with the blood vessels supplying the heart. Human Genome Project: An international research project to map each human gene and to completely sequence human DNA. (See NHGRI glossary for more information.) Hypodermic needle: A hollow needle used to inject medicine or drugs directly into the blood. Immune system: The body system, made up of many organs and cells, that defends the body against infection, disease and foreign substances. The immune system is often stimulated in specific ways to fight cancer cells. Inhaler: A hand-held device used to take medicine by breathing in through the nose or mouth. Also called inhalator. Leptin: A hormone produced by fat cells for regulation of appetite. It controls how much you want to eat, how much of the food your body stores, and how much is used for energy. Liver: A large organ in animals that is important for digesting food and removing waste products. Mental illness: Any of various conditions which cause problems with a person's normal thinking, feeling, or behavior, and caused by social, psychological, biochemical, genetic, or other factors, such as infection or head trauma. Also called emotional illness, mental disease, mental disorder. Microchip: An extremely small piece of semiconducting material, which can contain a very large amount of information. Neuron: A cell that sends electrical signals across distances. Neurons receive input from sensory cells or other neurons and send messages to muscles or other neurons. Obesity: (n), Obese (adj.) (1) Having too much body fat. Parkinson's: A problem with the central nervous system. A neurological disease that continues to get worse. Symptoms include uncontrolled shaking of the body and difficulties with muscular coordination. Poison: A substance that causes injury, illness, or death Protein: Essential components of all living cells that allow a body to function work well (including enzymes, hormones, and antibodies). Proteins are essential in the diet of animals for the growth and repair of tissue. Radioactive isotope: Elements with an unstable nucleus that act as poisons, killing cancer cells without destroying other parts of the body. Skin patch: A small piece of material put on the skin. It contains medicine that gradually enters the body through the skin. Smart bomb: A genomic drug that contains natural antibodies targeted directly at cancer cells. Swallow: (v) To cause (food or drink, for example) to pass through the mouth and throat into the stomach.
Symptom: An indication of disorder or disease that signals a change from normal function, sensation, or appearance. Trophic compounds: The body's natural substances that help cells grow and develop. Tumor: A mass of abnormal cells that are the result of rapid cell division. Tumors perform no useful body function. They may be either benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous). Ultrasonic: (adj.) (1) Sounds that the human ear cannot hear. (2) Of or relating to acoustic frequencies above the range that the human ear can hear, or above approximately 20,000 hertz. Vaccine: Weakened or dead poisonous cells injected into the blood in order to stimulate the production of antibodies.

Classroom Applications
Given the amazing advances in biological research and the new knowledge that has become available to human beings about their own biological makeup, it is important for students to know basic concepts related to DNA research and the human genome project. This following lesson provides a basic introduction to this topic in an interactive fashion. Preliminary Lesson Planning Materials:
q
Prepare enough copies of the student handouts in Appendix A, B, and C for each student in the class. If available, bring relevant illustrations (see below) to assist student comprehension. If not available, these illustrations can also be found at the Internet sites listed below.
Sites with diagrams of the DNA double helix http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/D/DoubleHelix.html http://www.pbs.org/saf/1202/teaching/teaching3.htm An illustration of the human cell including the location of the chromosomes http://freespace.virgin.net/tcs.london/gene/chrom.htm
Photos of important DNA researchers such as Francis Crick and James Watson http://www.npg.org.uk/education/facepack/more_38216.html
Student Grouping:
q
Decide on procedures for grouping students for each activity (see suggestions below). Groups should have no more than six participants. For most activities, you should group students either by language proficiency level or, for those activities where language is less of an issue, by expertise (that is, how much group members know about the topic). For some activities, you may wish to group students randomly. In class contexts where students have varied first languages, it is important to put students from different backgrounds into each group.
Vocabulary:
q
Before teaching the lesson, preview the glossary items and select those items that need to be taught before you begin the lesson (that is, those that are absolutely essential for introducing and understanding the topic). These will probably include key concept words such as gene, chromosome, heredity, gene mapping, etc.
Warm Up Activity (approximately 5 minutes) Purpose:

q
To find out what students already know about heredity To activate vocabulary related to traits, characteristics, and heredity
Procedures: 1. On the blackboard, draw a table with two columns. Label one column Positive Traits from your Parents and the other column Negative Traits from your Parents. 2. Have students fold a piece of notebook paper in half to make two columns and copy the headings from the blackboard, one at the top of each column. 3. Ask students to brainstorm the positive and negative traits (hair color, eye color, personality, height, weight) that they inherited from their parents and write these in the appropriate columns on their paper. (There is no right or wrong answer). 4. Ask for student volunteers to explain their responses. Write these on the blackboard. 5. On the blackboard, write the words learned vs. inherited traits. Ask students to explain the difference. (Inherited traits include intelligence, hair color, eye color, and height; learned traits include academic success, and athletic and musical abilities.) 6. Divide the class into groups of from two to five students. The total number of groups will depend on the number of students in the class. Ask them to look over the traits they generated as a class and discuss which ones are truly inherited. 7. Have students discuss their answers. Put a check mark next to the traits on the blackboard that students agree are
inherited.
Transition from Warm Up to Activities Tell students that the class will be devoted to learning some of the history of DNA research and its role in heredity and to discussing the implications of the project to map the human genome. Activity 1 (approximately 3035 minutes) Purpose:
q
To present facts about DNA and the human genome project To introduce content-specific vocabulary To activate students speaking and listening skills while collaboratively generating a timeline of DNA research
Procedures: 1. Across the top of the blackboard, draw a timeline containing the dates 1860, 1866, 1902, 1920, 1934, 1953, 1960, 1977, 1990, 1999, and 2000. Leave room beneath and between the dates for you to record information (see Step 4 below). 2. Divide the class into 6 groups. The total number of members in each group will depend on the number of students in the class. Assign each group a letter (AF). With a large class, you can create multiple groups of A, B, etc. With a small class, this can be done as a whole class activity. 3. Give each group (or, in small classes, each student) a copy of Handout 1 (Appendix B) that corresponds to the their letter designation. Instruct students to do the following: a. Work with other group members to read and understand your two pieces of information about DNA research. b. Turn over your papers. With your group, write a summary in your own words. c. Choose a spokesperson who will report your groups summary to the whole class. 4. Call on each group in chronological order, asking the spokesperson to provide a summary of the DNA research that occurred during that period. Write the information under the corresponding date in note form. 5. Ask students if they have clarification questions for the reporting group and allow the group time to answer these questions. 6. Have students copy the completed timeline into their notebooks.
Activity 2 (approximately 20 minutes) Purpose:

q
To provide students with surprising facts about DNA research To give students an opportunity to respond to these facts
Procedures:
1. Divide the class into groups of from two to five students. The total number of groups will depend upon the number of students in the class (Appendix C). 2. Give students a copy of Handout 2 and ask them to do the following (write instructions on the blackboard if necessary): a. Work as a group. Find the information in Column 2 that you think best answers the questions in Column 1. Use key words in the questions to help you guess the answers. b. Find a partner from another group and compare your answers. 3. Have the class vote on the answer they believe to be correct for each question. 4. For those answers that the students were not able to figure out, provide the correct answer. See the answer key in Appendix C. 5. Have students rejoin their original groups and choose the most surprising answer. Tell them to be prepared to explain their choice. 6. Have groups report and explain their choices to the whole class.

q
To acquaint students with the primary benefits of DNA research and the human genome project To provide students an opportunity to critically assess these benefits To provide a context for students to use key vocabulary about this topic
Procedures: 1. On the blackboard, create two columns. Label Column 1 Benefits of DNA research and Column 2 Tally of Class Opinions. Under Column 1, write the letters A-G. See Appendix D for blackboard layout. 2. Divide the class into groups of from two to five students. The total number of groups will depend on the number of students in the class. 3. Give students a copy of Handout 3 and ask them to do the following (write instructions on the blackboard if necessary): a. Work as a group to determine the three most important benefits of DNA research. b. Discuss the reasons for your groups selection. 4. Ask each group to report its choices. Tally the responses on the blackboard (see Appendix D for blackboard layout). 5. Ask students to defend the reasons for their choices. 6. As a class, consider the two benefits that were ranked the lowest. Discuss why these benefits seemed least important. Write student responses on the blackboard.
Cool Down Activity (approximately 15 minutes)
Purpose:
q
To wrap up the lesson To provide students with an opportunity to consider the possible negative consequences of DNA research To provide additional speaking and writing practice
Procedures: 1. Have students individually write two or three questions related to DNA research and the human genome project. These should be questions about what this research means for individuals and society. 2. Divide the class into groups of from two to five students. The total number of groups will depend on the number of students in the class. 3. Ask students to discuss each others questions and pick the best one to explain to the class. Have each group send one student to write this question on the board. 4. Choose the question that will generate the most interesting discussion. Ask students to discuss their opinions. Possible Extensions to Lesson 1. Have students visit the Web site http://vector.cshl.org/dnaftb/1/concept/index.html to review simple explanations of the basic elements of DNA. This will help them complete all activities in the chapter. 2. Have students visit one of the web sites listed in this chapter (see Internet Resources). Have them find one interesting piece of new information to tell the class about genes, DNA, or the human genome project. 3. For Activity 2, have students work in new groups that have one member from each original group (Groups AF). Have them make their own quiz that draws on the information they have learned. Then allow them to give their quiz to the other groups. 4. For the Cool Down Activity, have students choose one of the questions written on the blackboard and write a journal entry in which they answer the question from their own point of view. Refer to the Web sites listed in the next section of this chapter for more information and lesson planning ideas.

Internet Resources and References

Internet Applications (Web sites with prepared lesson plans and activities) Quia: Biology Games http://www.quia.com/dir/bio/ DNA: Genes and Chromosomes http://www.quia.com/jg/65756.html The structure of DNA, replication, transcription, translation, and mutations are covered. Genetics http://www.quia.com/jg/65753.html This site reviews basic vocabulary associated with the study of genetics. Think Quest: Genetics http://www.thinkquest.org/library/cat_show.html?cat_id=21&cid=1 This site provides a description of and links to several excellent lessons on the subject of genes. It also contains easy-to-understand readings about genetics, both at the basic and advanced levels, often with ready-made quizzes. DNA and the Mystery of Life (A completeWebquest lesson on DNA designed for high school students) http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/miramesa/DNAproject/dnaindex.html By clicking on a set of questions to guide your study, students are provided with a worksheet that asks them to answer questions about pictures of DNA. Biotech, Inc. (A Webquest for high school biology) http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/kearny/biotech/
In this simulation, students become employees at a biotechnology company whose president challenges them to research local biotechnology companies and design and market a new genetics product. Exploitable Content (Web sites with information about the topic, but without any prepared lessons) Mad Sci Network http://www.madsci.org/MS_search.html A staff of science experts are available to answer nearly any question you may have. At this link, simply enter a key term for a question you have and you will see what answers have already been provided. http://www.madsci.org/info/class.html This link gives instructions for how this site can be most effectively used in your classroom and provides links to lessons. About Biotech National Health Museum http://www.accessexcellence.org/AB/ The National Health Museum site provides information about current biotechnology projects and their likely impact on life in the 21st century and historical documents. The Graphics Gallery, http://www.accessexcellence.org/AB/GG/, is well done. DNA Learning Center http://vector.cshl.org/ This site by the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory has an especially useful link to DNA from the Beginning http://vector.cshl.org/dnaftb/ , which is organized around key concepts and is explained by animation, an image gallery, video interviews, problems, biographies, and links. Official Documents National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genome/seq This organization, a division of the United States National Institute of Health, stores and analyzes recent discoveries in the field of biotechnology. The link below shows the most recent information on Human genome Sequencing. The International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) http://www.icgeb.trieste.it/ This organization is dedicated to the safe use of biotechnology. The National Human Genome Research Institute http://www.genome.gov/glossary.cfm This institute has compiled an excellent audio glossary of genetic terms.
References Begley, S. (2000, April 10). Decoding the human body. Newsweek, pp. 5057. Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. (1994). The handy science answer book. Detroit, MI: Visible Ink Press. Chiras, D. D. (1993). Biology: The web of life. St Paul, MN: West.
Cowley, G., and Underwood, A. (2000, April 10). A revolution in medicine. Newsweek, pp. 5167. Fischer, J. S. (2000, July 3). Weve only just begun. U.S. News and World Report, p. 47. Golden, F., and Lemonick, M. D. (2000, July 3). The race is over. Time, pp. 1823. Hayden, T. (2000, July 3). A genome milestone. Newsweek, p. 51. Jacobs, P., and Zitner, A. (2000, June 27). Scientists reach milestone in mapping of human genome. Los Angeles Times, A1, pp. 1213. Lemonick, M. D. (2000, July 3). The genome is mapped. Now what? Time, pp. 2429. Park, A. (2000, October 16). Designer baby. Time, p. 102.

Appendices
Appendix A: Glossary (Printer-Friendly Format)
Alzheimer's: A mental disorder that gradually destroys vital nerve cells in the brain. Symptoms include loss of memory, judgment, and reasoning, as well as changes in mood and behavior. It is not a normal part of aging. Amino Acid: Any of 20 basic elements that make proteins. Bacteria: A tiny one-cell organism that reproduces by cell division. Biologist: A person who studies plants, animals, and humans. Many biologists now do research on genetics. Cell (human): In biology, a structure surrounded by a membrane and containing genetic material (DNA) on the inside. Considered by most biologists to be the basic unit of life. Chromosome: In organisms without a nucleus (such as bacteria), this is a circular DNA molecule used in genetic engineering. In organisms with a nucleus (including plants and humans), this is one of the threadlike structures within the nucleus that contains DNA. Diabetes: A disorder caused by the body's decreased production or use of insulin (a hormone produced by the pancreas cells need to be able to use blood sugar). Diagnostic test: Tests used to identify a particular disease or characteristic. DNA: (deoxyribonucleic acid) A molecule in the form of a double helix , found within a structure known as a chromosome, within the nucleus of every living cell. First discovered in the 19th century, it controls the daily operation of a cell, and provides the genetic "blueprint" for the physical characteristics of all living organisms.
Gene: A small stretch of DNA that directs the production of proteins. A hereditary unit that occupies a specific position (locus) on the chromosome. This unit has a specific effect on the physical characteristics of the organism. Gene mapping: Finding the relative positions of genes on a DNA molecule (chromosome) and of the distance between them. Genetics: The study of heredity. Hereditary disease: A physical disorder that is inherited from parents or grandparents rather than caused by environmental factors. Heredity: The passing of certain traits from parents to their offspring through the genes. Human genome: The complete set of genes in a cell that creates a living organism. Human genome project: The scientific project to "read" the DNA of human chromosomes. Consists of not one project, but rather hundreds of separate research projects conducted throughout the world. The objective is to create a directory of the genes that can be used to answer questions such as what specific genes do and how they work. Inherited trait: Ways of looking or being that are caused by the genetic make-up or environment of a living organism. Learned traits: Ways of looking or being that are caused by the environment of a living organism. Molecule: A chemical entity consisting of two or more atoms of the same or different elements chemically bonded together. Nucleus (of a cell): The control center of the cell that contains chromosomes and controls the cell's actions. Organism: Any living thing, either vegetable or animal. Protein: The "building blocks" of our bodies that contain substances such as hormones and antibodies to regulate body functions. RNA: (ribonucleic acid) Like DNA, this is another molecule that is important in genetics. It is different from DNA because it is single stranded (not double stranded). Trait: Ways of looking or being. Traits that are genetic are passed down through the genes from parents to their children Transforming factor: Something that causes a change. White blood cells: Cells that circulate in the blood and work as part of the immune system to fight off "foreign bodies" that cause disease.
Appendix B (Printer-Friendly Format) Handout 1 for Students in Group A
1866
Gregor Mendel, an Austrian monk, described basic elements of heredity (these are now called genes).
1860s
Friedrich Miescher, a Swiss chemist, did research on the chemical composition of white blood cellss. He discovered two types of molecules in the nucleus of the blood cellsribonucleic acid (RNA) and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).
Handout 1 for Students in Group B 18701900 There were no major findings during this period. Scientists knew that DNA played some part in heredity but its structure seemed too simple to play a major role in heredity. During this period, scientists thought that proteins (with their much more complex structure) played the most important role in heredity.
1902
At Columbia University in New York City, a medical student began to study whether chromosomes were made up of genes and if all cells in the body contained these genes.
Handout 1 for Students in Group C 1920s Frederick Griffith, an English physician, accidentally discovered a transforming factor while doing experiments with bacteria. When this factor was taken from one bacteria and put into another, it caused changes in the second bacteria.
1934
Griffiths colleague, Oswald Avery, conducted a 10-year study to identify the transforming factor. His experiments found that neither proteins nor RNA carry genetic information. He then wondered if DNA was the transforming agent. To answer this question, he conducted an experiment. In it, he destroyed the DNA in the first bacteria. When the DNA was destroyed, no hereditary information was transmitted to the second bacteria. Avery then concluded that DNA causes changes in the second bacteria by transmitting traits from the first bacteria.
Handout 1 for Students in Group D
1953
James Watson, an American geneticist, and Francis Crick, a British biophysicist, discovered the structure of DNA. To do this, they used X-ray photographs of DNA taken by New Zealand biophysicist Maurice Wilkins. Until this time, it was not known how DNA made a copy of itself in order to transmit genetic information to other cells. The three men won the Nobel Prize for their discovery in 1962.
1960s
Marshall Nirenberg, an American biochemist, and Har Gobind Khorana, an American biochemist born in India, decoded DNA and discovered the building blocks of DNA. This code consists of four chemical units, represented by the letters A (adenine), T (thymine), C (cytosine), and G (guanine). Each string of letters produces a specific Amino Acid. When these Amino Acids are combined, they create human traits such as eye color and genetic diseases.
Handout 1 for Students in Group E 1977 Frederick Sanger, a British biologist, developed a method to decode the entire DNA strings in one bacteria. This was the first living organism to be totally decoded.
1990
Agencies of the U.S. government fund a 15-year project to sequence the human genome. This is a map of the cells inner workings and of all the chemicals produced by DNA that determine human characteristics and behavior.
Handout 1 for Students in Group F 1999 The Human Genome Project finishes sequencing the first human chromosome.
June 2000
Both the U.S. government-sponsored Human Genome Project and a privately funded research group announce that they have a draft of the first human genome.
Appendix C (Printer-Friendly Format) Handout 2 for Activity 2 1. How many pages of newspaper would it take to write out all the DNA in one human cell? a. 10%
2. How many DNA letters are contained in the genome of a mouse?
b.
99.9%
3. How many DNA letters are contained in the human genome?
c. between 30,000 and 140,000
4.
How many human genes do scientists estimate there are?
d.
less than 5%
5. What percentage of human genes cannot be understood with current technology?
e.
3,100,000,000
6. What percentage of all human DNA creates the genes in our body?
f.
2,300,000,000
7. What percentage of each humans DNA is identical to that of every other human being?
g.
195
8. How many scientists did it take to decode the entire genome of the common fruit fly?
h.
100,000
Answer Key for Activity 2 h. 1. How many pages of newspaper would it take to write out all the DNA in one human cell?
f.
2.
How many DNA letters are contained in the genome of a mouse?
e.
3.
How many DNA letters are contained in the human genome?
c.
4.
a.
5. What percentage of the genetic code cannot be deciphered with current technology?
d.
6.
What percentage of all human DNA creates the genes in our body?
b.
g.
8. fly?
How many scientists did it take to decode the entire genome of the common fruit
Appendix D (Printer-Friendly Format) Blackboard Layout for Activity 3 Benefits of DNA Research a. b. c. d. e. f. g. Tally of Class Opinions XXX XXXX etc.
Handout 3 for Activity 3 _____ a. Pharmaceutical companies will be able to create drugs tailored to a persons genetic profile.
_____
b. Doctors will be able to describe diseases more clearly (for example, they will be able to determine what type of breast cancer a patient has).
_____
c. Doctors will be able to predict a persons chances of getting serious diseases such as heart disease or Alzheimers.
_____
d. Scientists will be able to predict new technologies such as DNA chips and micro-arrays that show which genes are active in a tissue sample.
_____
e. Scientists will be able to find genes that trigger certain diseases (for example, it will find the genes responsible for diabetes or obesity).
_____
f. Scientists will be able to manipulate the genes for memory, hormones, learning, and human growth and development.
_____
g. Scientists will be able to produce comprehensive data bases of DNA sequences in genes that will assist in genetic research.

One of the fastest-growing areas of medical research is that of genetic testing and gene therapy. This chapter introduces students to this area of DNA research and helps them explore the related ethical issues.
Preliminary Lesson Planning Materials:

q
Prepare enough copies of the student handouts in Appendix B, Appendix C, and Appendix E for each student in the class. For the Cool Down Activity, bring enough pens and overhead transparencies (or sheets of paper large enough to be displayed on the blackboard) for each group in the class.
Student Grouping:
q
Decide on procedures for grouping students for each activity (see suggestions below). Groups should have no more than six participants. For most activities, you should group students heterogeneouslyeither by language proficiency level or, for those activities where language is less of an
issue, by expertise (that is, how much group members know about the topic). For some activities, you may wish to group randomly. In class contexts where students have varied first languages, it is important to put students from different backgrounds into each group. Vocabulary:
q
Before teaching the lesson, preview the glossary items and select those items that need to be pre-taught (that is, those that are absolutely essential for introducing and understanding the topic). These will probably include key concept words such as DNA testing, genetic testing, gene therapy and words for genetically-linked diseases such as Alzheimers, Huntingtons, Lou Gehrigs disease, Tay Sachs, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and sickle cell anemia. Warm Up Activity (approximately 510 minutes)
Purpose:
q
To preview key issues in genetic research and therapy To encourage students to examine what they believe about these issues To activate vocabulary related to the topic
Procedures: 1. Give each student a copy of Handout 1 (Appendix B). Ask them to read the statements in Column 1 and circle YES, NO, or MAYBE. 2. Have students find a partner and discuss their responses. 3. Tally responses as a whole class. 4. Choose the two statements that received the most YES and the most NO responses. Have students give reasons for their responses.
Transition from Warm Up to Activities Tell students that the class session will be spent discussing controversial issues surrounding the new technologies of DNA identification and gene therapy.

q
To introduce students to cases in which genetic science has been used to solve human problems To introduce content-specific vocabulary and concepts To provide a forum for students to examine their beliefs about the value of genetic research
To activate student speaking and listening skills
Procedures: 1. Write these purposes for genetic tests and therapy on the blackboard: to prove a person guilty or innocent of a crime to recreate an extinct species to determine identity and ancestry to cure a life-threatening disease to detect the presence of a disease-causing gene 2. Divide the class into groups of from two to five students. The total number of groups will depend on the number of students in the class. 3. Distribute a copy of Handout 2, Appendix C to each student and have them do the following: a. Read each of the cases in the handout. b. Work with other group members to determine the purpose of genetic testing or therapy. Note that one purpose may fit more than one case. 4. Tell the students that they represent an agency that distributes funding for biological research and development. They should look at their pairing of purposes and cases of genetic testing and therapy, and decide which purpose is the most worthy of funding. Tell them to be prepared to defend their choice. 5. Have students present their choices. Activity 2 (approximately 30 minutes) Purpose:
q
To provide students with a real-life application of the decision-making process involved in genetic testing To give students an opportunity to participate in this decision-making process
Procedures: 1. Pre-teach the following vocabulary: sickle cell anemia, genetic testing, carrier, afflict 2. Read aloud the case history of the Allen family in Appendix D. 3. Have students take notes as you read the case. 4. Have students in pairs compare their notes in order to reconstruct the case history. 5. As a whole class, review the facts of the case and generate a list of dilemmas that this family has faced. Write these dilemmas on the blackboard (see list of sample dilemmas in Appendix D). 6. Divide the class into groups of from two to five students. The total number of groups will depend on the number of students in the class. Have them select one of the dilemmas on the blackboard and discuss whether they agree or disagree with the Allens decision (see sample phrases for expressing an opinion in Appendix D). 7. Have groups report back their discussion to the whole class.

q
To provide a forum for students to discuss the role of genes and the environment in diseases known to be genetically linked To give students an opportunity to discuss lifestyle choices they have made in order to improve their health
Procedures: 1. Explain to students that genes dont always determine health and that other factors (such as lifestyle and a familys history of disease) can be equally important in determining whether or not a person contracts a disease. 2. Divide the class into groups of from two to five students. The total number of groups will depend on the number of students in the class. 3. Distribute a copy of Handout 3, Appendix E to each student. Tell students to do the following: a. Study the table. b. Using the information from the table, work with other group members to answer the following question: Do genetic tests reliably predict a persons chances of getting a genetically-linked disease? Be prepared to defend your answer. 4. Ask each group to state its opinion and give one reason why they hold this opinion (see sample phrases for expressing an opinion in Appendix D). 5. As groups present, write their reasons on the blackboard. Cool Down Activity (approximately 30 minutes) Purpose:
q
To wrap up the lesson To review important concepts and vocabulary To provide focused speaking and listening opportunities
Procedures: 1. Write the following three concepts on the blackboard: genetic testing, DNA testing, and gene therapy. Ask the class to explain the differences between these concepts. 2. Divide the class into three groups. The total number of members in each group will depend on the number of students in the class. Groups should contain no more than five students each. Assign each group a letter designation A, B, or C. With a large class, you can create more than one group for each letter. 3. Distribute an overhead transparency (or large sheet of paper) and a pen to each group. 4. Have each group choose a secretary. 5. Assign topics to each group (A = genetic testing, B = DNA testing, C = gene therapy).
6. On the transparency or large sheet of paper, have them list the pros and cons of this application of genetic research. 7. Have students display their lists and explain their rationale. Possible Extensions to Lesson 1. For the Warm Up Activity, have students select one of the statements in Appendix B and write a journal entry explaining their position. 2. For homework related to Activity 1, encourage students to think of one or two cases they are familiar with that are similar to those listed in the activity. Have them report these at the beginning of the next class session or have them write about one case history as homework. 3. For Activity 3, as an in-class or out-of-class activity, have students make a list of the factors they can and cant control in their own lifestyle. 4. Have students visit one of the Web sites listed in this chapter or locate an article on gene research in a newspaper or magazine, and find one interesting piece of new information to explain to the class. Refer to the Web sites listed in the next section of this chapter for more information and lesson planning ideas.

Internet Applications (Web sites with prepared lesson plans and activities) Genetic Learning Center http://gslc.genetics.utah.edu/ This site includes on-line, hands-on, and group activities, as well as links to thematic activities on basic genetics and genetic disorders. DNA: The Instruction Manual for All Life http://www.thetech.org/exhibits_events/online/genome/overview.html This is a fun interactive teaching guide by the Tech Museum of Innovation about DNA and how it affects you. Think Quest: Genetics http://www.thinkquest.org/library/lib/site_search.html This site provides a description of and links to several excellent lessons on genetics and related issues, both at the basic and advanced levels, some with ready-made quizzes. For example, The True Witness (http://library.advanced.org/17049/gather/) covers forensic science, including fingerprinting, DNA, and ballistics.
Exploitable Content (Web sites with information about the topic, but without any prepared lessons.) 1. Your Genes, Your Choices: Exploring the Issues Raised by Genetic Research http://www.genome.gov/page.cfm?pageID=10001618 This free book describes the Human Genome Project, the science behind it, and the ethical, legal, and social issues that are raised by the project. This book was written as part of the Science + Literacy for Health project of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. 2. Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications (ELSI) of Human Genetics Research http://www.genome.gov/page.cfm?pageID=10001618 The ELSI Program was established in 1990 to address the ethical, legal and social issues of human genetic research. This site provides information on the history of ELSI and research and training opportunities at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI). 3. The Human Genome Project http://www.genome.gov/page.cfm?pageID=10001694 Also by the NHGRI, this site provides detailed information on how the Human Genome Project was initiated, its progress, who is involved, opportunities for research funding, and HGP-related publications and information sources. 4. To Know Ourselves http://www.ornl.gov/hgmis/publicat/tko/index.html This site by the Human Genome Project provides a review of the role, history, and achievements of the Department of Energy in the Human Genome Project and an introduction to the scientific and other aspects of the project. 5. Potential Benefits of Human Genome Project Research http://www.ornl.gov/hgmis/project/benefits.html This site of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory provides a review of potential benefits with a poster of genome applications. There are also many links including News; Ethical, Legal, Social Issues; and Education. 6. Mad Sci Network http://www.madsci.org/MS_search.html This is an excellent site for finding answers to questions. A staff of science experts is available to answer nearly any question you may have. Simply enter a key term for a question you have and you will see what answers have already been provided. This link (http://www.madsci.org/info/class.html) gives instructions for how this site can be used most effectively in the classroom. It also provides links to lessons. 7. About Biotech http://www.accessexcellence.org/AB/ This site by the National Health Museum provides information about current biotechnology projects and their likely impact on life in the 21st century. Also, the Graphics Gallery http://www.accessexcellence.org/AB/GG/ contains material for classroom use. 8. DNA Learning Center http://vector.cshl.org/ This site by the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory has a useful Image Archive on the American Eugenics Movement (http://vector.cshl.org/eugenics/). 9. DNA Chip Genetic Testing of the Future http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/instruct/mcclean/plsc431/students99/althoff.htm This is informative reading for advanced level students.
Official Documents The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) http://www.nhgri.nih.gov/index.html This organization funds research in chromosome mapping, DNA sequencing, database development, technology development for genome research, and studies of the ethical, legal, and social implications of genetics research.
References Alter, J. (2000, June 12). The death penalty on trial. Newsweek, pp. 2434. Begley, S. (2000, April 10). Decoding the human body. Newsweek, pp. 5057. Couzin, J. (1999, November 1). Quandaries in the genes. U.S. News and World Report, pp. 6466. Cowley, G., and Underwood, A. (2000, April 10). A revolution in medicine. Newsweek, pp. 5167. Fischer, J. S. (2000, February 14). Best hope or broken promise? U.S. News and World Report, p. 46. Jacobs, P., and Zitner, A. (2000, June 27). Scientists reach milestone in mapping of human genome. Los Angeles Times, A1, pp. 1213. McGraw, D. (2000, June 12). DNA and the death penalty. U.S. News and World Report, pp. 2021. Marcus, M. B. (2000, May 8). DNA from the dead may offer little to the living. U.S. News and World Report, p. 65. Park, A. (2000, October 16). Designer baby. Time, p. 102. Roberts, L. (1999. December 20). Its alive! (or might be). U.S. News and World Report, p. 61. Shute, N. (2000, July 24-31). Havent got a clue? Maybe DNA will do. U.S. News and World Report, pp. 7879. Sobel, R. K. (2000, February 21). Add insult to injury: Gene therapys travails. U.S. News and World Report, p. 55.

Appendices
Appendix A (Printer-Friendly Format) Glossary Afflict: Cause pain or suffering. Ancestry: The descendants or blood relative of one individual. Blood clotting: A process in which liquid blood changes into a semisolid (a blood clot). Carrier: An individual who does not show symptoms of a disease but has the genes for it and can transfer it to his/her child. Cell (human): In biology, a structure surrounded by a membrane and containing genetic material (DNA) on the inside. Considered by most biologists to be the basic unit of life. Chromosome: In organisms without a nucleus (such as bacteria), this is a circular DNA molecule used in genetic engineering. In organisms with a nucleus (including plants and humans), this is one of the threadlike structures within the nucleus that contains DNA. Conduct: To act, guide, or manage (usually conduct research or experiments).
Convict: To find or prove (someone) guilty of an offense or crime, especially through the verdict of a court. Destiny: Fate. A future that an individual cannot control. Detect: To notice; to find; often used to describe the discovery of a disease. Devastating: Terrible; causing great harm. DNA: (deoxyribonucleic acid) A molecule in the form of a double helix , found within a structure known as a chromosome, within the nucleus of every living cell. First discovered in the 19th century, it controls the daily operation of a cell, and provides the genetic "blueprint" for the physical characteristics of all living organisms. DNA testing: The analysis of human DNA, RNA, chromosomes, and proteins in order to detect the presence or potential presence of an inheritable disease. Ethics: A set of principles of proper conduct. A system of moral values. Extinct: No longer existing or living. Gene: A small stretch of DNA that directs the production of proteins. A hereditary unit that occupies a specific position (locus) on the chromosome. This unit has a specific effect on the physical characteristics of the organism and can house one of many different allele forms (each allele causes a different trait). Genealogy: A record or chart of a persons extended family going back many generations; a family tree. Genetic make-up: All the chromosomes and the information they contain. The genes of an individual. Genetic testing: The checking of an individual's genetic material to predict present or future disability or disease, either in the individual or his/her children. Gene therapy (human): Insertion of normal DNA directly into cells to correct a genetic defect. Gene transfer: The movement of genetic material (DNA) from the laboratory into a human subject. Human genome: The full collection of genes in a human being. Immune system: A system which protects the body from disease causing agents. Inherited disease: A disease or disorder that is inherited genetically. Liver: An organ in the body which helps with metabolism, digestion, detoxification, and elimination of substances from the body. Malignant cells: Cells that grow uncontrollably.
Obesity: The condition of having excessive body fat. Paralysis: The loss of motor functions; the inability to move ones muscles. Pharmaceutical companies: Companies that make drugs or medicines. Potential: 1. Possible. 2. Able to grow and develop. Side effect: An unexpected, usually undesirable reaction to a medicine or therapy. Tissue sample (human): A small portion of a group of similar cells taken for research of medical purposes. Trial: The formal presentation of evidence and arguments when a person is accused of a crime. Undergo: To experience; to endure; to suffer.
Appendix B (Printer-Friendly Format) Handout 1 for Warm Up Activity 1) I would have a genetic test to determine if I had the gene for an incurable disease. 2) I would allow a potential employer to administer a genetic test before hiring me. 3) I would ask my relatives to save samples of my DNA after my death. YES NO MAYBE
YES
NO
MAYBE
YES
NO
MAYBE
4) If I were accused of a crime, I would undergo a DNA test to prove my innocence.
YES
NO
MAYBE
5) I would pay a company to protect the privacy of my genetic information.
YES
NO
MAYBE
6) I would undergo gene therapy to cure a devastating or life threatening disease.
YES
NO
MAYBE
7) I would save the DNA of my dead loved ones.
YES
NO
MAYBE
8) I would use gene therapy to insure the sex or improve the genetic make-up of my unborn baby.
YES
NO
MAYBE
Appendix C (Printer-Friendly Format) Handout 2 for Activity 1 1) Four black men were convicted of the 1978 murders of a white couple in Chicago, Illinois in the U.S. Two of the men were on death row waiting to be executed when DNA evidence showed that they could not have been the ones who raped the woman victim. As a result, they were released from prison. Later, three other men confessed to the crime and were convicted.
2) After the execution of the last Russian Czar Nicholas and his family during the Russian Revolution, the bodies of the two youngest children, Alexis and Anastasia, were never found. Until her death in 1984, Anna Anderson claimed to be the long-lost Crown Princess Anastasia. In tests, her DNA was compared to that of Prince Philip of Great Britain, a descendant of the Russian royal family. There was no match. Her identity as Franzisca Schonzkowska was established when her DNA was compared with that of a Polish nephew.
3) Nancy Seeger, a 56-year-old woman from Illinois in the U.S., worried her whole life about developing breast cancer since both her mother and her aunt had died from this disease. She was tested and found to have an 85% risk of breast cancer and a 50 percent risk of ovarian cancer. As a result of this information, she decided to have surgery.
4) A woman from California in the U.S., Ginger Empey, had advancing breast cancer. Since it had already spread to major organs when diagnosed, gene therapy was the only choice. She was injected with a genetically-engineered drug. Over the next year, her tumors shrank by 25 percent. After 3 years, they almost disappeared.
5) Ms. X, had given her daughter up for adoption many years before and had agreed to conceal her identity. However, she was not happy with her decision. Later in life, she searched and found a young woman whom she believed to be her daughter. The young woman was not sure that Ms. X was her mother, especially because the woman who claimed to be her biological mother was Jewish and she was raised as a Christian. DNA testing was used to prove the parental link.
6) O. J. Simpson, a well-known U.S. sports figure, was arrested on June 17, 1994 as a suspect in the double murder of his ex-wife Nicole and her friend Ronald Goldman. In the trial, DNA testing showed that blood found at the crime scene belonged to Simpson. This evidence was later successfully challenged by Simpsons lawyers. He was found not guilty.
7) Scientists recently discovered the completely frozen carcass of a wooly mammoth, an ice age animal that has been extinct for thousands of years. They are hoping to extract DNA from the frozen animal and use it to recreate this species.
Appendix D (Printer-Friendly Format) Case Study for Activity 2 Michelle Nicole Allen was born in 1978. A few months after her birth, it was determined that she suffered from sickle cell anemia, a blood disease common in people of African American descent. In 1983, Michelles mother became pregnant again and gave birth to a son, Michael, who developed the disease seven months later. Both children spent much of their childhood in hospitals. Michelle has now reached adulthood despite this grave illness. Michael is in his teens and, despite being hospitalized more often than his older sister, leads an active life that includes playing four musical instruments. Their mother is glad there was no genetic test available for sickle cell anemia when she was pregnant. Michelle, at age 21, became pregnant and gave birth to a son, Philip. Before his birth, she was given the option of having genetic tests to determine if her son was a carrier for sickle cell. She opted against this test. Since Philip was born, he has been tested four times. Three times he tested positive and once negative. The family must now wait to see if Philip will develop the disease. It is their hope that the third generation of their family will not suffer from this illness.
Sample Dilemmas for Activity 2
Michelles mothers dilemmas:

q
Whether or not to have a second child who might also have sickle cell anemia
q
Whether she should protect her childrens health or allow them to lead an active, normal life Michelles dilemmas:
q
Whether or not to get pregnant at all

q
Whether to have a genetic test to determine if her unborn child is a carrier of sickle cell anemia
q
What to do if Philip develops the disease Michaels dilemmas:

q
Whether or not to get married

q
Whether or not to have children

q
If his wife becomes pregnant, whether or not to allow genetic testing for the unborn child
Sample Phrases for Activity 2: Expressing an Opinion Expressing an Opinion Disagreeing Agreeing
In my opinion
I can see your point but
Thats a good point because
Id like to say that
Im not sure I agree. I think
Thats my feeling, too.
I think that
But dont you think that
I couldnt agree more.
As I see it
Are you saying that?
I tend to agree with that.
Appendix E (Printer-Friendly Format) Handout 3 for Activity 3 Disease Relationship of genes to disease Risk of getting disease Other factors contributing to disease risk
Breast cancer
Scientists have found one specific gene in many breast cancer sufferers.
5085%
Lifestyle (diet, exercise, level of stress) Environment in which you live Incidence of the disease in immediate family Other genes associated with this disease
Ovarian cancer
Scientists have found one specific gene in many ovarian cancer sufferers.
2040%
Lifestyle (diet, exercise, level of stress) Environment in which you live Incidence of the disease in immediate family Other genes associated with this disease
Huntingtons
Scientists have found the same gene in all sufferers. They call it the Huntingtons gene.
nearly 100%
No other known factors
Colon cancer
Scientists have found one gene that has a connection to colon cancer.
100%
No other known factors except in a very small number of colon cancer cases
Alzheimers
Scientists have found one gene that has a connection to Alzheimers disease.
unknown
Other possibly-related genes are also being researched
Chapter 3 Cloning
With the news in 1997 that a large mammal, Dolly the sheep, had been successfully cloned, we entered a new era, coming closer to the day when a human being will be cloned. This exciting, and frightening, scientific development is one that everyone should be informed about. This chapter presents basic information about cloning and examines its current and future uses. Preliminary Lesson Planning Materials:
q
Prepare enough copies of the student handouts in Appendix B (optional), Appendix D, Appendix E, Appendix F, and Appendix G for each student in the class. If available, bring relevant visuals to assist with student input, for example, a picture of Dolly the sheep or other animals that have been cloned, or pictures of endangered animal species. Such photos can be found at the following Web sites:
r
Dolly and her surrogate mother http://www2.ri.bbsrc.ac.uk/library/press/dolly.jpg Endangered/Extinct Animals (photos and descriptions of more than 100 animal species) http://www.nature.ca/notebooks/english/enexpg.htm The five cloned piglets in Virginia http://ens.lycos.com/ens/mar2000/2000L-03-14-02.html
For the Cool Down Activity, bring enough overhead transparencies or large sheets of paper and pens for each group in the class.
Student Grouping:
q
Decide on procedures for pairing or grouping students for each activity (see suggestions below). Groups should have no more than six participants. For most activities, you should group students heterogeneouslyeither by language proficiency level or, for those activities where language is less of an issue, by expertise (that is, how much group members know about the topic). For some activities, you may wish to group randomly. In classes where students have varied first languages, it is important to put students from different backgrounds into each group.
Vocabulary:
q
Before teaching the lesson, preview the glossary items and select upon those items that need to be pre taught (those that are absolutely essential for introducing and understanding the topic). These will probably include a review of word families, for example, to clone, a clone, cloning; to replicate, replication, replicated. See Appendix B for Sample Student Handout 1.

q
To encourage students to think about the implications of cloning To provide a context in which students can draw on their own background knowledge
Procedures: 1. Write the word extinction on the blackboard. Ask students to explain the meaning of this word and to comment on why extinction of certain species is a concern today. Have them brainstorm species that are in danger of extinction. 2. Instruct students that you are going to read aloud the story of Noahs Ark, a story about the preservation of animal species (see Appendix C). Tell them to answer the following question: How did Noah save the animals of the world? 3. Read the story aloud. Ask students if they have any questions about vocabulary and content. If necessary, read the story aloud a second time. 4. Elicit student responses to the question. 5. Ask them to think of and tell stories from other cultures or religions that are similar to the story of Noahs Ark. 6. Ask them to give modern examples of how species are being preserved. Transition from Warm Up to Activities
Tell students that they are going to learn about a scientific procedure called cloning that may allow us to not only preserve species but also to improve their genetic makeup. Activity 1 (approximately 60 minutes) See endnote Purpose:
q
To provide students with key information about cloning To activate their note-taking, speaking, and listening skills To have students work cooperatively to increase their knowledge of the topic
Procedures: 1. Divide the class into six expert groups. The total number of members in each group will depend on the number of students in the class. Assign each group a letter designation (AF). With a large class, you can create more than one group for each letter. 2. Give each group a copy of Handout 2 (see Appendix D) that corresponds to its letter designation. Tell them to do the following: a. Have one person in your group read the information about cloning aloud to the rest of the group. Take notes on important information. b. Agree as a group on which piece of information was important. Add any additional information to your notes. 3. Regroup the class into groups that contain six students, one from each of the previous expert groups. If the total number of students in the class is not divisible by six, distribute the remaining students evenly among the new groups. 4. Distribute copies of Handout 3 for Activity 1 (see Appendix E). 5. Have students work together to answer the questions. 6. Elicit responses from the groups and write them on the blackboard (see Appendix E for sample answers). Help resolve any differences of opinion by asking the expert groups to reread their notes. Activity 2 (approximately 2530 minutes) Purpose:
q
To acquaint students with how cloning is being used To have them examine the value of recent scientific research and express their personal opinions on this topic To practice language and skills associated with expressing and defending an opinion
Procedures: 1. Divide the class into groups of from two to five students. The total number of groups will depend on the number of students in the class.
2. Give students a copy of Handout 4 (see Appendix F) and ask them to do the following (write instructions on the blackboard if necessary): a. Work as a group to decide which of the scenarios shows the most beneficial use of cloning. Be prepared to defend your answer. b. Then, decide as a group which of the scenarios shows the least beneficial use of cloning. Again, be prepared to defend your choice. 3. Have each group explain its decisions to the rest of the class. 4. Encourage the rest of the class to ask questions and challenge the groups choices (for sample phrases for agreeing and disagreeing see Chapter 2, Appendix D). Activity 3 (approximately 3040 minutes) See endnote Purpose:
q
To give students an opportunity to practice their writing skills To provide a forum for students to voice their personal opinions about the various uses of cloning
Procedures: 1. Distribute Handout 5 (see Appendix G) to all students in the class. 2. Explain that the handout contains comments about cloning written on the World Wide Web by five different individuals. 3. Ask students to read all five comments. 4. As a whole class activity, have students summarize the main point of each comment. 5. Ask students to select one of the five comments that they wish to react to in writing. Allow 10 minutes for them to write their responses. 6. Group students according to the Web comment they wrote about and have them read their responses to each other. 7. Ask for volunteers to read their responses aloud to the whole class. Cool Down Activity (approximately 15 minutes) Purpose:
q
To help students summarize the new information they have learned and review key concepts To give students an opportunity to use new vocabulary in a meaningful context
Procedures: 1. Write the word cloning on the blackboard and circle it. Draw lines coming out of the circle like spokes on a wheel (see Appendix H for sample blackboard layout).
2. Explain to the class that they will create a word wheel as they brainstorm and review what they have learned about cloning in this lesson. 3. Divide students into groups of not more than six members each. The total number of groups will depend on the number of students in the class. 4. Distribute an overhead transparency (or large piece of paper) and a pen to each group and have them copy the word wheel from the board onto their transparency or paper. 5. Tell each group to think of the kinds of information they have learned about cloning and write these on each spoke of the word wheel. For example, students might write definition of cloning, benefits of cloning, uses of cloning, etc. 6. Explain how they can expand their word wheel by drawing additional spokes from the words they have added. For example, they could draw three additional spokes for benefits of cloning and label these identical copies of genetic information, prevention of disease, better crops, etc. 7. Have each group display and present its word wheel. Possible Extensions to Lesson 1. For the Warm Up Activity, divide the class in groups of from three to six students. The number of groups will depend on the total number of students. Have each group choose one near-extinct species that they would preserve and explain how they would preserve it. (A good resource for photos and brief information about endangered and extinct species is The Canadian Museum of Nature online: http://www.nature.ca/notebooks/english/enexpg.htm). 2. Ask students to find articles in newspapers or magazines or search the Internet to find information about efforts to preserve endangered species of plants or animals. See the Internet resources in this chapter for possible sources. 3. To get students more actively involved in Activity 1, this could be done as a competition to see which group can answer the questions most quickly and accurately. 4. For Activity 1, have each group of students devise one additional frequently asked question about cloning. For homework, each group could research the answer to its question and summarize the information in one paragraph. The teacher could compile the new questions and answers, and distribute them or post them on a class Web site. 5. For Activity 2, in addition to deciding the most and least beneficial uses of cloning, students can also be asked to rank all of the uses from most to least beneficial. 6. For Activity 2, the teacher could assign one use of cloning to each group and have the groups present the benefits and disadvantages of using cloning in this way. 7. For Activity 3, instead of having students respond in writing to the Web postings, have students, working in pairs, take on the identity of the writer and role play the conversation between the two parties. Refer to the Web sites listed in the next section of this chapter for more information and lesson planning ideas. Endnotes 1. The cloning FAQ in Activity 1 are based on the Cloning Special Report on the NewScientist Web site
http://www.newscientists.com. 2. The Web postings in Activity 3 are based on the Bioethics Forum on the NewScientist Web site http://www.newscientists.com.
Chapter 3 Cloning
Internet Applications (Web sites with prepared lesson plans and activities) Think Quest: Cloning http://www.thinkquest.org/library/adv_search.html At this site, enter the keyword cloning for a description of and links to several award-winning lessons on the subject of cloning. Exploitable Content (Web sites with information about the topic, but without prepared lessons) Cloning Special Report http://www.newscientist.com/nsplus/insight/clone/clone.html This special report offers information about cloning, including links to other useful sites. Roslin Institute Online: Information on Cloning and Nuclear Transfer http://www.ri.bbsrc.ac.uk/library/research/cloning/cloneweb.html This site is sponsored by the institute where Dolly was cloned. Many links are provided. Genomics: A Global Resource (Cloning) http://genomics.phrma.org/cloning.html This site, sponsored by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), includes a list of links related to
cloning. Center for Bioethics http://www.med.upenn.edu/bioethics/ This center at the University of Pennsylvania is one of the leading organizations studying the ethics of cloning and other related topics. Enter the search term "cloning" for the latest information on this topic. Scientific American http://www.sciam.com/ This site has several "explorations" about cloning including: A Clone in Sheeps Clothing: http://www.sciam.com/explorations/030397clone/030397beards.html Cloning Hits the Big Time http://www.sciam.com/explorations/090297clone/beardsley.html Slouching Toward Creation: Peering Into the Face of Cloning http://www.pathfinder.com/TIME/cloning/home.html This Web site offers a clear explanation (with photos) of several issues related to cloning: the story of Dolly, how cloning works, its future, and the ethical concerns involved. Raising the Mammoth http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/landofmammoth/landofmammoth.html Based on a television program that premiered in March 2000, this site explores research on the extinct wooly mammoth and answers the question, Can One be Cloned? A link to a video update is available. Human Cloning Federation http://www.humancloning.org/unitedna.htm This site features an article entitled "The United Nations is Trying to Ban Cloning" along with many links to sites that support continued research into cloning. Mad Sci Network [Excellent site for asking questions] http://www.madsci.org/MS_search.html A staff of science experts is available to answer questions you may have. Simply enter a key term for your question and you will see what answers have already been provided. http://www.madsci.org/info/class.html This link gives instructions for the most effective use of this site in your classroom. Links to lessons are also provided.
Official Documents National Bioethics Advisory Board http://bioethics.gov/search.html Enter in the keyword "cloning" to find out the latest official statements by the United States on bioethics as this relates to cloning. Biotechnology Information Center http://www.nal.usda.gov/bic/ This database prepared by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural Library can be searched for information on cloning.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific, & Cultural Organization (UNESCO) http://www.unesco.org/ Simply click on search and enter the key word "cloning" for the latest information.
References (1998, August 3). Cloning 1-2-3. Making a ewe. Retrieved January 3, 2001 from the World Wide Web: http://www.time.com/time/newsfiles/cloning/ Bioethics Forum. The New Scientist. Retrieved January 3, 2001 from the World Wide Web: http://www.newscientist.com/nsplus/insight/clone/forum.html Bird, M. (January 8, 2001). Noahs new ark. Time, pp. 6061. Cloning special report. The New Scientist. Retrieved January 3, 2001 from the World Wide Web: http://www.newscientist.com/nsplus/insight/clone/clone.html. Coghlan, A. (2000, December 6). Egg medicine. The New Scientist. Retrieved January 3, 2001 from the World Wide Web: http://www.newscientist.com/nsplus/insight/clone/eggmedicine.html. Fischer, J. S. (2000, March 27). Five little piggies going to market. U.S. News and World Report, p. 51. Lampman, J. (1998, August 13). Clonings double trouble. Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved January 3, 2001 from the World Wide Web: http://www.csmonitor.com/durable/1998/08/13/. Lemonick, M. D. (1998, August 3). Dolly, youre history. Retrieved January 3, 2001 from the World Wide Web: http://www.pathfinder.com/TIME/cloning/home.html MSNBC staff and wire reports. (2000, April 27). Is cloning key to fountain of youth? Retrieved January 3, 2001 from the World Wide Web: http://www.msnbc.com/news/400436.asp Raising the mammoth. The Discovery Channel. Retrieved January 3, 2001 from the World Wide Web: http://exn.ca/Mammoth/Cloning.cfm Ridley, M. (2000, April 10). Will we clone a dinosaur? Time, p. 94. Zitner, A. (2000, December 24). Cloned goat would revive extinct line. Los Angeles Times, pp. A1, A18.
Chapter 3 Cloning
Appendices
Appendix A: Glossary (Printer-Friendly Format) Breed: To produce (offspring); give birth or hatch. Clone: A population of identical molecules, cells, or organisms derived from a common source. Because no genetic material is combined (as in sexual reproduction), a clone is genetically identical to the parent. Consent: To indicate or express a willingness. Culture: Microorganisms, tissue cells, or other living matter grown in a specially prepared nutrient medium. Crop: Cultivated plants or agricultural produce, such as grains, vegetables, or fruit. Cystic fibrosis: (Abbreviation CF) A hereditary disease that usually develops during early childhood and mainly affects the pancreas, respiratory system, and sweat glands. It usually results in chronic respiratory infections and impaired pancreatic function. Dinosaur: Any of various extinct, often gigantic reptiles. Donor: One from whom blood, tissue, or an organ is taken for use in a transfusion or transplant. (Note: can also be used as an adjective, as in embryonic donor cells. Embryonic: 1. Of or relating to an embryo; 2. Of an organism prior to birth or hatching; as in in the embryonic stage. Emphysema: An abnormal condition of the lungs characterized by decreased respiratory function; associated with smoking, chronic bronchitis, or old age. Endangered: Faced with the danger of extinction: an endangered species. Fertilize: Make fertile or productive 2. Introduce semen into (a female). Fetal: Of, relating to, characteristic of, or being a fetus: a fertilized egg. Fission: An asexual (non-sexual) reproductive process in which a one-cell organism divides into two or more independently maturing cells. Fossil: A remnant or trace of an organism of a past geologic age, such as a skeleton or leaf imprint, embedded and preserved in rock. Gaur: A large East Indian species of wild cattle. For more information: http://www.nature.ca/notebooks/english/gaur.htm
Gregor Mendel: Founder of the science of genetics (18221884). An Austrian monk and botanist. Hemophilia: A genetic blood disorder in which the blood fails to clot normally. This disorder is hereditary and is due to a deficiency in or an abnormality of one of the clotting factors. Hemophilia is manifested almost exclusively in males. Hormone: A naturally occurring substance secreted by specialized cells that affects the behavior of other cells. Husbandry: 1. The act or practice of cultivating crops and breeding and raising livestock; agriculture. 2. The application of scientific principles to agriculture, especially to animal breeding. Implant: 1. To put an object or a device in a person or animal via surgery. Manipulate: To handle and move in an examination or for therapeutic purposes: manipulate a joint; manipulate the position of a fetus during delivery. Mitosis: The entire process of cell division including division of the nucleus and the cytoplasm. Nucleus: A large circular structure within a living cell that contains the cell's hereditary material and controls its metabolism, growth, and reproduction. Offspring: A child; a daughter or son. Organism: An individual life form, such as a plant or an animal; a body made up of organs or other parts that work together to carry out the various processes of life. Protein: The principal constituent of all cells, essentially consisting of combinations of amino acids and peptide linkages. Reject: To resist the introduction of (a transplanted organ or tissue); fail to accept as part of one's own body. Replicate: To make an exact copy or copies of (genetic material, a cell, or an organism). Reproduce: To generate offspring by sexual or asexual (non-sexual) means. Roots: The usually underground portion of a plant that serves as support, draws minerals and water from the surrounding soil, and sometimes stores food. Surrogate: One that takes the place of another; a substitute: a surrogate mother. Trait: A genetically determined characteristic or condition: a recessive trait. Transplant: To transfer (tissue or an organ) from one body or body part to another. Uterus: A hollow muscular organ located in the pelvic cavity of female mammals in which the fertilized egg implants and develops. Also called a womb. Via: 1. By way of. 2. By means of. Vital: Necessary to the continuation of life; life-sustaining: a vital organ, vital nutrients. Woolly mammoth: Hairy extinct mammoth common in colder portions of the northern hemisphere. For more information: http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/landofmammoth/dispatches/dispatch.html Womb: A hollow muscular organ located in the pelvic cavity of female mammals in which the fertilized egg implants and develops. Also called a uterus.
Appendix B (Printer-Friendly Format) Sample Student Handout 1 for Word Family Exercise Directions: Complete the chart with the missing parts of speech for each vocabulary item. Circle each word that is new
for you, and ask your classmates or teacher for its definition. Verb Noun Adjective
to clone
a clone
cloning/ cloned
to replicate
to manipulate
to test
an implant
a reproduction
a rejection
a preservation
Appendix C (Printer-Friendly Format) Story for Warm Up Activity Very soon after the beginning of the world, God decided he was not too pleased with his creation. He decided to destroy the earth by making it rain and flooding everything. However, to preserve those things that pleased him, he asked one of his faithful people, Noah, to help him. He came to Noah and told him that the world would be destroyed by flood. He gave Noah exact directions for building an ark, a boat that would be large enough to hold his entire family and two of every animal in creation. Noah set about building the ark as God had directed. Just as he completed it, a heavy rain began to fall. Noah loaded all the animal pairs, one male and one female of each species, onto the ark. It rained forty days and forty nights, and the rain destroyed everything on earth. God had instructed Noah not to leave the ark until it was safe. To see if it was safe, Noah sent a dove out from the ark to find dry land. When the dove returned with an olive branch, Noah knew it was safe to leave the ark. When all the animals and members of Noahs family had returned to dry land, a rainbow appeared in the sky. This was a sign that God would never again destroy the earth by water.
Appendix D (Printer-Friendly Format) Handout 2 for Students in Group A What is cloning? Unlike sexual reproduction, which combines the genetic material of two individuals, cloning involves creating a new organism or individual by copying the genetic material of only one original organism. Cloning can be done in two ways: (1) fission, a cell dividing into two cells or (2) mitosis, the nucleus of a cell dividing with each chromosome splitting into two. How does cloning work? In its most basic form, cloning involves three steps. In the first step, scientists take cells from an individual whose characteristics they want to copy. They place these cells, which are called donor cells, into a liquid culture. This culture contains nutrients and stops the cells from dividing. In the second step, an unfertilized egg is taken from a female. Its nucleus is removed, leaving an empty egg cell. The donor cell is then placed into the empty egg. This process creates an embryo that is an exact copy of the donor and not the mother. In the final step, the embryo is put into the uterus of a female of the species and arrives into the world via the natural birth process.
What is the most famous case of cloning? Dolly the sheep. In 1997, scientists successfully cloned an adult mammal, the Finn Dorset sheep Dolly. Overnight, she became the most famous animal in the world. Although the technology used to clone Dolly was experimental at the time, it has proven useful in the years since she first appeared. Now, scientists are cloning cows, chickens, and pigs. They are also able to produce clones from animal fetal cells quite easily.
Handout 2 for Students in Group B Which organisms are the most frequently cloned today? Plants. For centuries, people have taken roots or stems of plants in order to make genetically identical copies. Usually this is done by choosing the best plant (for example, the most decorative or unusual), cutting a root or branch from it, and placing that cutting in water or soil. The cells will then divide and double in size every six weeks until the cutting develops roots. At this point, it is ready to be planted. It will then grow into an exact copy of the parent plant.
Is cloning unnatural? No, cloning already occurs in nature. In fact, the only way that many organisms (for example, bacteria, yeast, snails, and shrimp) can reproduce is through cloning. Mammals reproduce naturally only through sexual reproduction. Thus, only scientists working in a laboratory can clone a mammal. The problem with cloning, however, is that it does not improve the genetic makeup of a species. What is the difference between cloning and breeding? For years, specialists in animal husbandry have been able to breed characteristics in and out of animals, thereby creating improved animal breeds. For example, dog breeders have been able to control the genetic makeup of species to obtain certain physical characteristics such as eye or fur color, size, or special abilities such as speed or herding. Breeding, however, is different from cloning in two ways. First, it can only be done with embryonic cells (cells that result in the production of offspring). Second, breeding does not produce an exact replica. Breeders can calculate the probability of obtaining a certain trait, but to actually obtain this trait they may have to try several times. With cloning, scientists can choose any healthy individual whose characteristics they wish to clone and create an exact copy by using cells from that animal.
Handout 2 for Students in Group C What is the difference between an identical twin and a clone? Both identical twins and clones consist of the exact same genetic material. But a clone cannot be considered an identical twin of the donor because it does not share the same time in the womb. Twins experience the same environmental factors before birth (such as nutrition and exposure to stress, hormones, alcohol, and drugs), which play an enormous role in their physical and mental development. The clone, on the other hand, only shares genetic material with its donor and lacks the prenatal environmental exposure of an identical twin. Could cloning be used to produce vital organs for transplant? Hypothetically yes. The only way to do this, however, would be to reproduce the entire individual, including its organs. This practice would raise ethical questions. Time is also a problem. It would take a long time for a donors organs to be mature enough to be removed from the donor and used for transplant. In addition, scientists are unsure whether transplanted organs from cloning would be accepted or rejected by the recipient individual.
Handout 2 for Students in Group D Could endangered species be saved through cloning? Possibly. At the present time, the success of this is unlikely. It took 276 tries to clone Dolly the sheep. But if the success rate of cloning increases, it could be a way to increase the population of endangered species or animals that are difficult to breed. Could extinct species be revived using cloning? This would be more difficult. Cloning extinct animals poses two problems. First, donor cells must be taken
from living organisms. Unless an extinct animal is found completely frozen (such as the wooly mammoth recently discovered in the Arctic), it would be impossible to find living cells. For example, because the fossil bones of dinosaurs contain no living cells, a dinosaur cannot be cloned. Second, current cloning technology requires a surrogate mother and an egg cell from a living female of the same species. Females normally cannot give birth to an animal from a different species. It is unlikely, for instance, that a female elephant could donate an egg cell and give birth to a wooly mammoth.
Handout 2 for Students in Group E What are the benefits of cloning? We are more certain of obtaining desired traits through cloning than through conventional breeding. For example, cloning could benefit crop engineering by creating foods that are more nutritious, disease free, and plentiful. Cloning could also help in the prevention and cure of diseases. For instance, the same laboratory that created Dolly the sheep is now working to create eggs that contain anticancer proteins to prevent various forms of cancer (such as fast growing forms of skin cancer). Dolly herself was cloned to produce a sheep whose milk had more proteins that are believed to help treat diseases such as emphysema, hemophilia, and cystic fibrosis.
Handout 2 for Students in Group F What are the disadvantages of cloning? One potential disadvantage of cloning is that breeding humans would become easier. While we have done this for centuries with other large animals such as race horses, cloning humans raises moral and ethical concerns. There is great potential for abuse if humans are able to design their offspring. The ability to breed in or out certain traits would raise questions of how tall or how intelligent we would want our children to be, or what color skin and eyes we would want them to have. These are questions that make us uncomfortable. In addition, it would be problematic to invest so much in changing or improving human genetic makeup because we might ignore the impact that the environment has on an individuals development. A further problem is that clones could be misused, for example, as spare part tissues and organs or as slave labor.
Appendix E (Printer-Friendly Format) Handout 3 for Activity 1 1. What was the first adult mammal to be cloned? 2. What steps do scientists follow to clone a large animal (such as a pig or a cow)? 3. Is cloning something that only scientists can do? 4. What makes an identical twin different from a clone? 5. What is the controversy surrounding the cloning of organisms to produce vital organs? 6. Why can cloning be used on endangered species but not on extinct species? 7. Name two benefits and two drawbacks of cloning. Answer Key for Activity 1 1. Dolly the sheep 2. First, they extract a cell from a donor animal whose traits they want to replicate. Second, they place the donor cells in a liquid that stops cell division. Third, they take an unfertilized egg from a female of the same species and remove its nucleus. Fourth, they implant the donor cell into the egg cell. Finally, they implant the newly created embryo into the uterus of a female of the species. 3. No. Anyone can clone a plant by taking a cutting and placing it in a medium that allows it to grow, such as water or soil. In addition, many species such as bacteria reproduce themselves via cloning. 4. Identical twins share the exact same pre-natal environmental conditions, but clones do not share an environment with the donor cell.
5. First, it is currently impossible to produce just an organ. The production of a vital organ requires reproducing an entire individual. This takes time and raises the ethical question of consent of the cloned individual to have its organs used in this way. 6. Because cloning requires a live cell. Fossil bones usually contain no living cells unless they are preserved in ice. However, endangered species are still alive and living cells can be taken from them. 7. The benefits are: (1) it allows for exact replication of the donors traits or characteristics and (2) it can help in preventing and curing diseases through the reproduction of individuals that are free of certain diseases or that possess certain disease-fighting or disease-resistant proteins. The drawbacks are: (1) it opens the way for humans to play God by breeding human beings as if they were animals and (2) it may lead us to overestimate the impact that genes have on our behavior and identity.
Appendix F (Printer-Friendly Format) Handout 4 for Activity 2 Uses of Cloning 1. Scientists have successfully cloned five female pigs: Millie, Christa, Alexis, Carrel, and Dotcom. These pigs were the first ever to be cloned, thus contributing to basic scientific knowledge about cloning. Pigs are now being cloned as organ donors. This idea may sound strange and impossible, but pig organs (such as the heart and liver) are similar in form and function to those of other mammals. 2. Recently, the last of an endangered species of goat, the bucardo, died in a winter storm. The carcass of the animal was frozen and preserved. Scientists are preparing to recreate the species by cloning one of her cells and implanting it in the uterus of a female from another goat species. 3. Teruhiko Wakayama, a 31-year-old postdoctoral student at the University of Hawaii, decided to see if he could use the technology developed to produce Dolly the sheep to clone mice. Not only did he succeed but he perfected the technique so that 3 percent of his clones survived. The cloned mice were normal and their DNA was so robust that they themselves could be cloned and their clones could be cloned. They produced three generations of identical mice for a total of 50 mice. 4. Scientists are working on cloning hens that lay eggs that contain antibodies against cancer. These eggs could be a natural anticancer drug for those human beings who ate them. 5. Scientists discovered an intact woolly mammoth preserved in ice. Their excavation techniques allowed them to preserve the mammoth's soft tissue. Several labs around the world have proposed extracting DNA from this soft tissue to see of they can use it to clone the mammoth. 6. Scientists may be able to control aging through cloning. In the case of Dolly the sheep, her cells appeared to be the same age as the adult female donor from which she was cloned. In other words, she is older than her chronological age. However, in the case of six cloned cows created through a different cloning technique, their cells appear to be younger than the cow's actual chronological age. Appendix G (Printer-Friendly Format) Handout 5 for Activity 3: The Cloning Forum Persons name: Ken E-mail: tokyoken@mail.com From: Tokyo, Japan Opinion: I think that the cloning of Dolly is the most important scientific breakthrough ever. Its medical benefits alone justify spending money on the project. While there are obvious concerns about abusing the technology of cloning, history shows that we cannot turn back. What we need is government action to outline ethical codes for the use of cloning. ********************************************************************** Persons name: Richard
E-mail: iowacityrich@stream.net From: Iowa City, Iowa Opinion: It is morally wrong under any circumstances to clone a human being and we should not even consider it. What is the use of cloning a human being? We already have a population problem in many countries. Where would we put any more people? Im also afraid that we arent wise enough to control this technology, which allows us to play God. ********************************************************************** Persons name: Wendy E-mail: funkychick@link.net From: San Bernardino, California Opinion: As an academic who is deeply interested in biological matters, I want to express my opinion about the cloning of Dolly. This opens up important opportunities in health and the environment. Wouldnt it be great if we could preserve all the endangered species of the world and bring the worlds ecosystem back into balance? Isnt this a better use of our resources than waging wars and developing new technologies that further pollute our environment? Its true, however, that we could easily misuse the power that cloning provides us. Despite the fears that cloning could easily be abused, I believe that human beings can and have learned from their past mistakes and that we can make intelligent use of this new and exciting technology. ********************************************************************** Persons name: Kamil E-mail: linguist@nairobiu.com From: Nairobi, Kenya Opinion: There has been much discussion about the fact that a clone will provide a perfect source for donor organs. If we consider the clone as a life like any other, however, this raises the very serious ethical and moral dilemma of sacrificing one life to save another. I personally believe that this is unethical from any perspective. What it ultimately comes down to is choosing the value of the original over the value of the copy. While this may be true for works of art, it doesnt apply to sentient beings. ********************************************************************** Persons name: Christos E-mail: christos@athens.net From: Athens, Greece Opinion: Cloning of humans would create a very confusing society with doubles and triples of everyone walking around. How would we distinguish identity? Would clones be issued the same passports, drivers licenses, and identity cards? What about credit checks? How would the original individual prove that s/he was the original and not a copy? How would this change our understanding of individuality and self identity?
Appendix H (Printer-Friendly Format) Sample Blackboard Layout of Word Wheel for Cool Down Activity

Genetically modified foods can potentially be very helpful to humankind because they can increase global food production, improve nutrition, and help prevent disease. At the same time, however, they might upset the balance of nature and change existing patterns of crop supply and demand. Because this technology is so new, there are many fears about what may happen. This chapter introduces students to both the benefits and disadvantages of new developments in biotechnology and crop engineering, providing them an opportunity to explore the practical and ethical issues related to this topic. Preliminary Lesson Planning Materials:
q
Prepare enough copies of the student handouts in Appendix C and F for each student in the class. For the Warm Up and Cool Down Activity, bring enough large sheets of paper and pens for each group in the class.
Student Grouping:
q
Decide on procedures for pairing or grouping students for each activity (see suggestions below). It is recommended that groups have no more than six participants. For most activities, you should group students heterogeneouslyeither by language proficiency level or, in those activities where language is less of an issue, by how much group members already know about the topic. In other activities, you may wish to group randomly. In classes where students have varied first language backgrounds, it is important to mix students from different backgrounds in the same group.
Vocabulary: Before teaching the lesson, preview the glossary items and select those items that need to be taught before you begin the lesson (that is, those that are absolutely essential for introducing and understanding the topic). These will probably include the key concept words such as crop engineering, genetically modified (GM) or transgenic foods, plant traits, plant breeding, disease resistant, and crop yield.

q
To increase student interest in the topic of biotechnology and crop engineering To find out what students already know about this topic To provide a context in which students can learn and practice content-specific vocabulary To provide practice in question formation
Procedures: 1. On the blackboard, draw a blank K-W-L chart (Weaver 1994). See Appendix B for blackboard layout. 2. Tell students that in this unit they will be learning about how genetic engineering can improve plant productivity and health. Also tell them that they will be examining the benefits and disadvantages of this new technology. 3. Ask students to tell you what they already know about biotechnology and crop engineering. As they volunteer information, summarize this in the Know (K) column of the K-W-L chart. 4. Next, ask students what they want to learn about this topic. Ask them to state this as a question. Write the questions that students generate in the Want (W) column of the K-W-L chart. 5. For this activity, leave the final Learn (L) column blank. Do not erase the K-W-L chart from the blackboard because it will be used again in the Cool Down Activity.
6. Have students copy the chart onto a piece of paper or write it in their notebooks.
Transition from Warm Up to Activities Ask student volunteers to read aloud the questions they have written in the Want (W) column of the K-W-L chart. Tell them that they will find answers to many of these questions as they complete the other activities in the unit. They should write these answers in their notebooks.

q
To introduce students to general facts about genetic crop engineering To provide students with an opportunity to engage in a forced choice activity, requiring them to determine whether aspects of the topic are primarily positive or negative To give students the chance to use key vocabulary and concepts associated with this topic
Procedures: 1. Make enough copies of the handout (Appendix C) for each pair of students. 2. Pair students and distribute one copy of the handout per student pair. 3. Tell students that they will read information about genetically modified plants. Ask them to look at the information in the first column of the handout and decide if the information is a positive or negative characteristic of genetic crop engineering. Depending on their decision, ask them to circle + (for positive) or (for negative) for each piece of information. 4. Reconfigure the students into groups of four so that each pair of students works with another pair. Ask them to compare their answers and discuss any differences. (If the class size is small, answers can be compared as a class.) 5. While students are working in their groups, circulate to resolve any questions that arise.

q
To provide an open discussion about the topic
To provide practice in stating and defending an opinion orally
Procedures: 1. Write the term genetically engineered crops on the blackboard and ask students to give a definition and/or examples. 2. Have each student take out a piece of paper and tell them that they should take notes on the cases of genetically modified crops that you are about to read. 3. Read aloud the four cases of genetically modified crops (see Appendix D). 4. Divide students into groups of from two to five students. The total number of groups will depend on the number of students in the class. Ask them to compare their notes and reconstruct the basic information in each case using complete sentences. Tell them that they are free to ask you vocabulary questions as they work. 5. Ask for a volunteer from each group to write one of the cases on the blackboard or on an overhead transparency. Have the class correct any errors of language or information. 6. Ask students to work again in their groups, this time ranking the cases from one to four (with 1 being most valuable and 4 being least valuable). Tell them to be prepared to defend their choices. (For sample phrases for agreeing and disagreeing, see Appendix D in Chapter 2: Controversial Issues in Gene Research of Language and Life Sciences.) 7. Once students finish discussing, have each group choose two spokespeople. 8. Spaced across the top of the blackboard, write the numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4 (see Appendix E for blackboard layout). 9. Review each case one by one. Ask one of the two spokespeople from each group to come to the front of the class and stand under the number that represents its ranking for the case. Have the group spokespeople explain their reasons for their rankings. Tell the seated class members that they can ask questions of or disagree with the spokespeople.

q
To provide students with further information about how crop engineering is viewed globally To provide an opportunity for students to make inferences based on factual information
Procedures: 1. Make enough copies of the handout (Appendix F) so that each group of students will have a copy. The number of groups will depend on the total
number of students in the class. 2. On the blackboard, create a table with four columns. In the left-hand column, put the names of the countries that appear in Appendix F. At the top of the other 3 columns, write Strongly in Favor, Somewhat in Favor, and Opposed, respectively (see Appendix F for sample blackboard layout) 3. Distribute one copy of the handout per student group. 4. Ask students to do the following: a. Read the information given about each country. b. Based on this information, decide what the attitude of this country is likely to be toward genetically modified foods. c. Circle the response that your group thinks is correct. 5. On the blackboard, tabulate the responses from each group in the table that you created. 6. Ask students to provide reasons for their judgments. Assist students as necessary, providing the correct answers from Appendix G.
Cool Down Activity (approximately 10 minutes) Purpose:

q
To provide practice summarizing new information To end the lesson
Procedures: 1. Review with students the information and questions they produced in the first two columns of the K-W-L chart in the Warm Up Activity. 2. Divide students into groups of from three to five students. The total number of groups will depend on the number of students in the class. 3. Tell students to do the following: a. Take out the notes you have made as you worked through the various activities in this unit. b. Together with the other members of the group, identify questions from the Want (W) column that you believe you can answer using the notes you have made. c. Provide answers for these questions, discussing your notes so that the answers are as complete as possible. 4. Assign each group to write the answer to one question from the Want column in the corresponding Learn (L) column of the K-W-L chart on the blackboard.
5. Go over the answers in the Learn column with the class as a whole, encouraging students to add any additional information. Add this information to what is already written in the Learn column.
Possible Extensions to Lesson 1. For the Warm Up Activity, instead of having the whole class fill in the grid, group students and give each group a large piece of paper onto which they can copy the K-W-L chart from the blackboard. They can then be instructed to fill this in, post their charts around the room, and share their responses with the rest of the class. 2. Have students choose one question from the K-W-L chart and find a Web site, newspaper, or magazine that answers the question. Ask them to share the information they have found with the rest of the class. 3. As an extension to Activity 1 (either in class or as homework), students can be asked to select one of the statements about which they will write an on the one hand/on the other hand reaction. This type of writing asks students to write one or two paragraphs with the first part explaining the possible positive effects and the second part explaining the possible negative effects of the scenario they have chosen. Teachers can model this for students using the statement Genetically engineered plants often increase crop yields significantly. See the sample on the one hand/on the other hand reaction in Appendix H. 4. For Activity 2, ask several students to volunteer to represent a funding agency. Divide the rest of the students into 4 equal groups. (In a very large class, students could be divided into 8 equal groups). Assign each group one of the 4 projects in Appendix D. Give the groups 5 minutes to outline reasons why their project should be given money and ask each group to appoint a spokesperson. At the same time, ask the students representing the funding agency to brainstorm criteria for giving the money. At the end of the brainstorming period, have the funding representative group put their criteria on the blackboard. Then, ask the spokesperson from each group to present their arguments for getting the funding. When all groups have presented, ask the funding representative to select which group should receive funding. 5. For Activity 3, assign students as homework to write about their countrys position on crop engineering. Have them provide facts to explain why their country holds this position. If necessary, ask them to do research to find the information they need. Refer to the Web sites listed in the next section of this chapter for more information and lesson planning ideas.

Internet Applications (Web sites with prepared lesson plans and activities) The New York Times Learning Network on the Web: Science http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/science.html The site contains many lesson plans for science topics (see examples below) that are based are articles published in The New York Times newspaper. Search for these lessons in the Lesson Plan Archive link: The Cream of the Crop: Comparing Organic and Conventional Farming Methods (In this lesson, students work in small groups to investigate the similarities and differences between organic and conventional agricultural practices.) Food, Glorious Food?: Exploring International Positions on the Use of Genetically Modified Foods (In this lesson, students investigate American and European positions on genetically modified foods and write a position paper from the perspective of their designated country.)
Altered Genes: Exploring the Economic Implications of Consumer's Worries About Genetically Engineered Foods (In this lesson, students investigate the controversy surrounding the use of gene-altered crops in food products sold in the United States and several other countries. Students will explore the economic implications of the use of such crops and the refusal of some countries and companies to buy gene-altered crops. After reading and discussing the article, students participate in an "international trade meeting," taking the perspective of one of the parties represented in the article.) Exploitable Content (Web sites with information about the topic, but without any prepared lessons) AG Biotech InfoNet http://www.biotech-info.net/index.html This site offers many informative readings on the implications of agricultural biotechnology. CQS: Health and Environment http://www.cqs.com/egeneral.htm#biotech This site offers an extensive list of on-line articles related to biotechnology and genetic engineering. Mendels Kitchen: How to Genetically Modify Foods http://www.balwynhs.vic.edu.au/home/mendels/howto.html This site provides an excellent description of the process with many pictures. There are also several links to the history of GM foods, environmental issues, social-economic issues, ethical and moral issues, case studies, and a forum. Northern Lights: Genetically Modified Foods http://special.northernlight.com/gmfoods/#over Compiled by a team of librarians and information specialists, this site offers an extensive list of current news links, free documents from Northern Light's online publication library, and a live query feature. Campaign to Ban Genetically Engineered Foods http://www.netlink.de/gen/home.html This European-based site includes an impressive number of links to readings that support a ban against genetically engineered foods. The Campaign to Label Genetically Engineered Foods http://www.thecampaign.org/ This U.S.-based site offers free membership, the chance to instantly send messages to Congressmen and the media, and information about the current situation regarding genetically engineered foods and their labeling. Discover Magazine http://www.discover.com/science_news/ This science magazine allows you to search both recent issues and archives for relevant articles. Click on recent issues to find the article Dont Eat Again Until You Read This in the March 2001 issue, a story about how a genetically modified corn that wasnt intended for humans got into the U.S. supply and caused many consumers to get sick. GreenPeace: Genetic Engineering http://www.greenpeace.org/~geneng/ The Green Peace organization is very concerned with genetically engineered foods. This site contains background information, articles, and press releases. Mad Sci Network http://www.madsci.org/MS_search.html A staff of science experts is available to answer nearly any question you may have. Simply enter a key term for a question you have and you will see what answers have already been provided.
http://www.madsci.org/info/class.html (This link gives instructions for how this site can be most effectively used in your classroom. Great links to lessons are provided, too.) Official Documents (Including government, UN, and UNICEF sites) National Council for Science and the Environment http://www.cnie.org/ This Web site can be searched for links to numerous Congressional Research Service Reports and more. United States Department of Agriculture http://www.usda.gov/ A U.S. government Web site with national news releases and audio/video highlights. You can search the site using key words. International Rice Research Institute http://www.cgiar.org/irri/index.htm Based in the Philippines, IRRI is a nonprofit agricultural research and training center established to improve the well-being of present and future generations of rice farmers and consumers, particularly those with low incomes.
References Wertheim, M. (2000, July 713). Frankenfoods: Should genetically modified produce frighten you? LA Weekly, pp. 2230. Acosta, A. (2000, November/December). Transgenic foods: Promise or Peril? Americas Magazine, pp. 1417. Nash, J. M. (2000, July 31). Grains of hope. Time, pp. 3946. Tangley, L. (2000, April 10). Of genes, grain, and grocers: The risks and realities of engineered crops. US New and World Report, pp. 4950. U.S. Department of State. (1999). Biotechnology: Food security and safety. Available: http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/ites/1099/ijee/ijee1099.htm. Weaver, C. (1994). Reading process and practice: From sociolinguistics to whole language (2nd ed.). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Endnote The table in Activity 3 was adapted from Nash (2000).

Appendices
Appendix A: Glossary (Printer-Friendly Format) Allergy: (allergic, adjective) An abnormally high sensitivity to certain substances, such as pollens or foods. Common symptoms may include sneezing, itching, and skin rashes. Beta-carotene: Gives a reddish color to plants such as carrots and tomatoes. The liver can convert it into vitamin A. Food sources of this vitamin include vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, and other leafy green vegetables; and fruit such as cantaloupes and apricots (also see vitamin A). Biotechnology: A set of biological techniques developed through basic research. Now applied to research and product development. In particular, the use by industry of recombinant DNA, cell fusion, and new bioprocessing techniques. Modern biotechnology products include antibiotics, insulin, interferon, and techniques such as waste recycling. Much older forms of biotechnology include breadmaking, cheese making, and brewing wine and beer. Boll weevil: A worm that infects and kills cotton crops
Breed (v) bred (irregular past tense): To develop new or improved kinds of animals or plants, chiefly through controlled mating and selection of offspring for desirable traits. Climate: The weather in a location averaged over a long period of time. Conduct: To do or manage an activity. Further studies need to be conducted Crop: (1) Cultivated plants (plants planted by farmers) or agricultural produce, such as grains, vegetables, or fruit. (2) The total amount of such produce harvested in a particular season or place. Crop engineering (or Genetic Crop Engineering): The manipulation of a plants genetic makeup by introducing, enhancing, or eliminating specific genes through modern molecular biology techniques. Crop yield: Total products (e.g. vegetables) resulting from growth or cultivation. Daffodil: A kind of flower. Diarrhea: Frequent and watery bowel movements, often accompanied with stomach pain. Drought: A long period of abnormally low rainfall, especially one that negatively affects growing or living conditions. Enrich (v), enriched (adj): To add nutrients to: The dairy enriched its milk with vitamin D. Frankenfood : A negative way to refer to GM foods, named after the fictional monster Frankenstein http://home-1.worldonline.nl/~hamberg/, who is a symbol of out of control science. Gene: A hereditary unit that determines a particular characteristic in an organism. Genes exist in a number of different forms and can undergo mutation. Gene research: The study of genes and genetics. Genetic makeup / Genetic code: The entire DNA coding of an organism. Genetically modified (GM) food (or plant, crop) (n): The agricultural products of genetic engineering technology, for example, the introduction, enhancement, or deletion of particular characteristics in an organism by altering its DNA (genetic makeup). Examples of such modified foods or foods that will likely be modified in the near future include: apples, canola, corn, grapevines, lentils, lettuce, maize, papaya, peas, pineapples, potatoes, soy beans, sugarcane, tomatoes, and wheat. Genetically modify (v): The use of modern biotechnology to change the genetic makeup of an organism (a plant) by inserting individual gene(s) that have been isolated in the laboratory into the genome of a living organism. Golden rice: A genetically engineered form of rice (http://www.biotech-info.net/golden.html) which has been infused with vitamin A (a vitamin not usually found in rice).
Gregor Mendel: Founder of the science of genetics (1822-1884). An Austrian monk and botanist. His breeding experiments on garden peas and subsequent formulation of the laws of heredity formed the basis for the study of genetics. Immune (v) (Immunity, (n): Protected against, infectious disease. Ingredient: One part of a mixture or recipe. Insect resistant: Description of a plant that is not affected (or is affected only minimally) by insects. Monarch butterfly: A type of butterfly common in North America. http://www.learner.org/jnorth/sm/aboutmbsf.html Nutrition: (1) Foods necessary for a healthy diet. (2) The physical and chemical process by which food is converted into body tissue. Pollen: The powder produced by seed plants, and most plentiful in Spring. A common cause of allergic reactions. Pesticide: A chemical that is used to kill unwanted organisms such as rats or weeds. These chemicals often act as nerve poisons, and they are hazardous to animals and humans. Some pesticides can cause nerve or liver damage, birth defects, and cancer in humans. Plant breeding: The genetic modification of crop plants, with the hopes of improving insect resistance and the nutritional content, as well as creating plants with high yield and enhanced quality. Plant trait: A genetically determined characteristic of a plant such as its height, resistance to insects and bad weather, and its typical crop yield. Rash: A skin eruption or reddening of the skin, often with itchiness. Resistant (adj) Resist (verb) Resistance (noun): (1) Relating to or conferring immunity (to disease or infection) (2) incapable of being affected disease resistant. Seed: The fertilized ripened ovule of a flowering plant containing an embryo and capable normally of germination to produce a new plant. Shellfish: Any aquatic animal whose external covering consists of a shell, for example, oysters, clams, lobsters, and crabs. Symptom: Any evidence of disease or of a patients condition as perceived by the patient, diagnosis, or a change in a patients condition. Toxic: Poisonous. Trait: A genetically determined characteristic or condition. Transgenic: Having genes that have been transferred from another species or breed, for example, a transgenic plant, transgenic rice, transgenic technology, transgenic crops, and transgenic foods. Transfer (v): The movement of something from one place to another.
Violently ill: Extremely sick. Vitamin A: A vitamin occurring principally in fish-liver oils, milk, and some yellow and dark green vegetables. Its deficiency causes hardening and roughening of the skin, night blindness, and degeneration of mucous membranes. Vomit (v): To lose the stomach contents through the mouth, often when feeling ill. Weed (n): A plant considered undesirable, unattractive, or troublesome, especially one growing where it is not wanted, as in a garden.
On-Line Dictionaries Dictionary.com http://www.dictionary.com Checks several on-line dictionaries at once. Online Glossary http://filebox.vt.edu/cals/cses/chagedor/glossary.html An annotated agricultural and environmental biotechnology annotated dictionary. Encarta World English Dictionary http://dictionary.msn.com/ A free online dictionary that allows you to click on the word to hear its pronunciation. A free online encyclopedia and atlas are also available. Appendix B: Blackboard Layout for Warm Up Activity (Printer-Friendly Format) What I Know What I Want to Know What I Learned
Appendix C: Handout for Activity 1 (Printer-Friendly Format)
1. People with an allergy to nuts or shellfish might have an allergic

reaction to a genetically modified food (such as a tomato modified with an oyster gene).
+ + + + + + + + + +
2. Millions of children today develop an eye disease or even go blind

because they dont eat foods with enough vitamin A. Yet scientists can genetically modify rice to contain vitamin A.
3. Scientists have been able to modify plants such as cotton and

corn so that they resist insects and disease.
4. Because scientists can now produce plants that resist certain

insects , farmers may no longer need to use pesticides.
5. Genetically engineered plants often greatly increase crop yields. 6. Many food manufacturers are unwilling to state that their products
contain genetically modified food ingredients on the product label.
7. Genetically engineered plant genes might accidentally cross over

from a genetically modified kind of plant to a non-genetically modified kind of plant. This might destroy natural or wild kinds of this plant.
8. Through biotechnology, scientists can now develop grains (for

example, corn and rice) that contain many of the essential nutrients required for healthy physical development.
9. Recently, U.S. consumers of a brand of corn taco shells became

ill after eating the product. These taco shells had been manufactured using genetically modified corn.
10. Genetic engineering requires less technology and time than other
methods of plant breeding, which often require several years to grow plants with the desired traits.
11. In a study conducted at Cornell University in the United States, it

was found that pollen from genetically engineered corn killed monarch butterfly caterpillars .
Appendix D: Cases for Activity 2 (Printer-Friendly Format)
1. Scientists at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology have modified the genes in rice to contain beta-carotene (or vitamin A). This improves its nutritional value and may help fight diseases related to a lack of vitamin A. 2. Scientists are currently modifying plant genes to improve their taste. For example, at the University of California at Davis, scientists created a species of flavor-savor tomato and are studying the genes that cause fruit to be sweet. 3. GM corn and cotton have been engineered to resist certain diseases and bugs, thereby increasing crop yield and decreasing the need for pesticides. 4. Biotechnology researchers are trying to make some foods more attractive. For example, they are attempting to develop a GM onion that wont make your eyes water when you cut it.
Appendix E: Blackboard Layout for Activity 2 (Printer-Friendly Format)
2 3
most valuable
least valuable
Appendix F: Handout 1 for Activity 3 (Printer-Friendly Format)
Country and Population
Circumstances
Attitude toward Genetic Engineering of Crops
Canada population 31,147,000 Argentina population 37,031,000
Grains make up 24.8% of the diet. It is a major exporter of foods. It is the secondlargest producer of GM foods. Grains make up 29.5% of the diet. It is the 3rd largest producer of GM crops. Grains make up 31% of the diet. It exports foods and most of its customers are in Europe. Grains make up 22.8% of the diet. It has recently experienced problems with its food supply (including mad cow disease in humans and illness in rats caused by GM potatoes). The government controls food imports. Grains make up 24.3% of the diet. Impure food has been a problem here. France does not easily allow U.S. food imports because it wants to protect its own farmers.
Strongly in Favor
Somewhat in Favor
Opposed
Strongly in Favor
Somewhat in Favor
Opposed
Brazil population 170,116,000
Strongly in Favor
Somewhat in Favor
Opposed
Great Britain population 58,803,000
Strongly in Favor
Somewhat in Favor
Opposed
France population 59,079,000
Strongly in Favor
Somewhat in Favor
Opposed
Japan population 126,714,000
Grains make up 40.7% of the diet. Japanese citizens are concerned about food quality. There have been several incidents of food poisoning recently. Like France, Japan does not allow food imports to protect its own farmers.
Strongly in Favor
Somewhat in Favor
Opposed
Grains make up 54.7% of the China diet. It has a large population population. Hunger was in 1,277,558,000 part responsible for the Chinese revolution. Grains make up 62.6% of the diet. The per capita income is very low. Like China, it has India a large population. In the population 1960s, developed countries 1,013,661,000 tried to tell Indian farmers what crops to grow, with disastrous results. Grains make up 23.6% of the diet. It is a major food exporter. It also has many large agricultural businesses. It has a history of strong consumer groups that influence government policy. It also has a government agency that directs food and drug safety.
Strongly in Favor
Somewhat in Favor
Opposed
Strongly in Favor
Somewhat in Favor
Opposed
United States population 278,357,000
Strongly in Favor
Somewhat in Favor
Opposed
Sample Blackboard Layout for Activity 3
Country
Strongly in Favor
Somewhat in Favor
Opposed
Canada Argentina Brazil Great Britain France Japan China India United States
Appendix G: Answer Key for Activity 3 (Printer-Friendly Format)
Circumstances
Canada population 31,147,000 Argentina population 37,031,000 Brazil population 170,116,000
Grains make up 24.8% of the diet. It is a major exporter of foods. It is the second-largest producer of GM foods. Grains make up 29.5% of the diet. It is the 3rd largest producer of GM crops. Grains make up 31% of the diet. It exports foods and most of its customers are in Europe. Grains make up 22.8% of the diet. It has recently experienced problems with its food supply (including mad cow disease in humans and illness in rats caused by GM potatoes). The government controls food imports. Grains make up 24.3% of the diet. Impure food has been a problem here. France does not easily allow U.S. food imports because it wants to protect its own farmers.
Strongly in favor
Strongly in favor
Somewhat in favor
Opposed
Opposed
Grains make up 40.7% of the diet. Japanese citizens are concerned about food quality. There have been several incidents of food poisoning recently. Like France, Japan does not allow food imports to protect its own farmers. Grains make up 54.7% of the diet. It has a large population. Hunger was in part responsible for the Chinese revolution. Grains make up 62.6% of the diet. The per capita income is very low. Like China, it has a large population. In the 1960s, developed countries tried to tell Indian farmers what crops to grow, with disastrous results. Grains make up 23.6% of the diet. It is a major food exporter. It also has many large agricultural businesses. It has a history of strong consumer groups that influence government policy. It also has a government agency that directs food and drug safety.
Opposed
China population 1,277,558,000
Strongly in favor
India population 1,013,661,000
Somewhat in favor
Somewhat in favor
Appendix H: Sample On the one hand/on the other hand Paragraph for Extension 3 (Printer-Friendly Format)
Genetically engineered plants often increase crop yields significantly. On the one hand, we know that genetically engineered plants produce larger crops. This means that farmers have to spend less money on seeds and will earn more money with their larger crop yields. It also means that developing nations can feed their populations at a lower price and that this technology can help to reduce world hunger. On the other hand, if many farmers in a country plant the same crop and have increased crop yields, the price they get for their crops will go down. This will occur because, as the supply of a particular crop increases, the demand for it automatically decreases, thereby lowering the price the farmer can ask. This is bad news for farmers since it will not improve their economic situation and may even make it worse. Increased crop yields may also have a negative effect on the environment. Farmers tend to plant those crops that will bring in the most money. This means that they may overplant one type of crop and stop planting others. Eventually, this wears out the soil and causes other environmental problems.

Medicine is changing at a rapid rate as a result of the new knowledge of the human genome. It is important for students to know how drugs and treatments are changing and will continue to change. The following lesson provides a basic introduction to this topic. Preliminary Lesson Planning Materials:
q
Prepare copies of the student handouts as follows: for Appendix B, one handout for each group of students; for Appendix C, one copy of Handouts 2 and 3 for each student in the class; and for Appendix D, one handout for each pair of students. If available, bring relevant visuals to assist student comprehension (for example, photos of pills, hypodermic needles, laboratory rats, the brain, the heart, or other suitable items). For the Cool Down Activity, bring enough overhead transparencies or large sheets of paper and pens for each group in the class.
Student Grouping:
q
Decide on procedures for pairing or grouping students for each activity (see suggestions below). It is recommended that groups have no more than six participants. For most activities, you should group students heterogeneously-either by language proficiency level or, in those activities where language is less of an issue, by expertise (i.e., how much group members know about the topic). In other activities, you may wish to group randomly. In classes where students have varied first language backgrounds, it is important to mix students from different backgrounds in the same group.
Vocabulary:
q
Before teaching the lesson, preview the glossary items and select those items that need to be taught before you begin the lesson (that is, those that are absolutely essential for introducing and understanding the topic). These will probably include synonyms for words such as drugs (medicine, treatment, pills, tablets, shots); disease (illness, sickness, condition); cure (make better, help, improve); and experiment (test, trial, try out).

q
To encourage students to think creatively To allow students to discuss ideas from other sources (e.g., television, movies, science fiction) To provide an opportunity for students to speak in pairs or small groups
Procedures: 1. Tell students that they will be creating a futuristic, science fiction method for curing a disease. 2. To set the scene, ask students if they have ever seen a science fiction movie or TV program, or read a science fiction novel or short story, in which people are cured using methods from the future. 3. Divide the class into groups of three to five students. The total number of groups will depend on the number of students in the class. Give each group an overhead transparency or large piece of paper and a marker. Have each group appoint a secretary and a spokesperson. 4. Have students brainstorm both the disease they will cure and the futuristic method of treatment. Tell them to illustrate their cure on the transparency or a large piece of paper. 5. Ask for student groups to volunteer to present their imaginary cures for real diseases. Ask the spokesperson for each group to explain in more detail the disease and the procedure for the cure. Transition from Warm Up to Activities Explain to students that, having imagined futuristic cures, they are now ready to learn about differences between traditional medicine and cures based on scientists' knowledge of the human genome. Activity 1 (approximately 20 minutes)
Purpose:
q
To activate students' background knowledge about traditional medicine To provide new information about genomic medicine To allow students to organize information using a compare/contrast format
Procedures: 1. Divide the class into groups of two to five students. The total number of groups will depend on the number of students in the class. Give each group a copy of Handout 1 (see Appendix B). 2. Explain to students that their task is to match the information in column 1 about traditional medicine with the corresponding information in column 2 about genomic medicine. 3. When all groups have completed the task, ask for volunteers to talk about their answers (see Appendix B for the answer key.)

q
To promote students' speaking ability To provide students with various viewpoints on an issue
Procedures: 1. Divide students into groups of three or six. 2. Distribute Handout 2 (see Appendix C). Tell students that they will be participating in a role play about a patient who could be treated with experimental genomic drugs to cure a life-threatening disease. 3. Ask students to read the two scenarios and select one for their role play. 4. Distribute Handout 3 (see Appendix C). Have students assign each member of their group a role in either Role Play 1 or Role Play 2. 5. Allow students 15-20 minutes to discuss and prepare their role play. 6. Ask for volunteers to perform the role play for the class. If the class is very large and time is limited, have only the volunteers perform the role play. If the class is smaller and time is available, all students can be asked to perform. 7. Read aloud the actual outcomes of the two scenarios (see Appendix C) and allow time for students to comment.
Activity 3 (approximately 30-40 minutes) Purpose:

q
To familiarize students with genomic treatments and drugs To give students an opportunity to read for key information about new genomic treatments To expose students to topic-related vocabulary To promote exchange of key information
Procedures: 1. For this jigsaw reading activity, divide students into four "expert" groups. The total numbers in each group will depend on the total number of students in the class. Assign each group a letter designation (A, B, C, or D). With a large class, you can create multiple groups for each letter. 2. Give each group a copy of Handout 1 (see Appendix D) that corresponds to their letter designation. Instruct students to do the following: a. Have one person in your group read aloud the information about the new genomic treatment. Take notes on important information. b. Agree as a group on the important pieces of information. Add any additional information to your notes. 3. Regroup students into new groups that contain four students, one from each of the previous expert groups. If the total number of students in class is not divisible by four, distribute the remaining students evenly among the groups. 4. Distribute copies of Handout 2 for Activity 3 (see Appendix E). 5. Have students share the information from their notes to fill in the grid. 6. Elicit responses from the group on the blackboard (see Appendix E for sample answers). 7. As a whole class, consider the cases of smart pills and fat pills. Together, brainstorm the advantages and disadvantages of these new genomic drugs.
Cool Down Activity (approximately 10 minutes) Purpose:

q
To review applications of genomic medicine To elicit student reactions to the best uses of this new medical technology To provide an open-ended speaking activity
Procedures: 1. On the blackboard, draw a chart listing diseases and their rankings (see Appendix F for a sample blackboard layout). 2. Divide the class into groups of four or five students. Explain that they will be deciding as a group the most important and least important uses of genomic medicine.
3. Ask students to copy the blackboard chart into their notebooks. 4. Have each student individually assign a ranking (1 = most important; 12 = least important) to each disease listed. If they wish, they can add two other diseases that they personally believe to be important. 5. Have group members discuss their individual rankings and arrive at a collaborative agreement on the top five diseases they believe to be most important. 6. Ask one member from each group to list their top five on the blackboard. Group members should be prepared to provide reasons for their choices. 7. Make a blackboard tally of the diseases students think are top priorities for genomic researchers.
Possible Extensions to Lesson 1. For the Warm Up Activity, if students have done the activity on large sheets of paper, these drawings can be posted on the walls of the classroom. Have each group write a short explanation of their treatment and post this written explanation with the illustration. As an alternative, instead of preparing a written explanation, a spokesperson for each group can stand next to the group's drawing. All other students circulate around the room, asking the spokespersons to explain the groups' futuristic treatments. 2. As homework for Activity 1, assign students to find an article or an Internet site on genomic medicine, locate one additional fact about genomic medicine, and write a short paragraph about this fact. 3. As an in-class writing activity following Activity 2, ask students to do a "quickwrite" in which they discuss whether they would be willing to undergo an experimental medical treatment. Allow about 15-20 minutes for students to put their ideas on paper. 4. A second alternative for Activity 2, as homework, is to have students write a dialogue between the different parties in the role play that they participated in. 5. For the Cool Down activity, divide the class into 10 equal groups, assigning each group a disease to defend. Each group should spend several minutes discussing reasons why the cure for their disease should be given top priority. They are then given the chance to present their reasons in a debate format. Refer to the websites listed in the next section of this chapter for more information and lesson planning ideas.


Internet Applications (Web sites with prepared lesson plans and activities) Human Genome Project Internet Exercise http://www.kumc.edu/gec/lessons.html This Web site has links to lessons on DNA and genetic research and treatment developed by teachers and health care professionals. Think Quest: Biotechnology http://www.thinkquest.org/library/adv_search.html Think Quest challenges students to create Web sites that teach about different topics in science. At this site, enter keywords such as "genomic medicine" and "gene therapy" to find sites about medicine created by students in different countries.
Exploitable Content (Web sites with information about the topic, but without any prepared lessons) Access Excellence. About Biotech: Biotech Applied. http://www.accessexcellence.org/AB/BA/ This site has numerous articles readings and case studies related to biotechnology. Check under the link "Revolutions in Medicine". The Discovery Channel: Discovery Health http://health.discovery.com/ This Web site covers a wide range of topics in health and medicine, including some of the diseases and conditions discussed in this chapter. Discover magazine http://www.discover.com The Web site of this science magazine allows you to read articles from past issues. Search "gene therapy" in the links to recent issues and archive for articles about new treatments in medicine. Millennium Pharmaceuticals http://www.mlnm.com/ This U.S. research institute, which is involved in research on smart bombs, hopes to "transcend the limits of medicine" by building the biopharmaceutical company of the future. Click on "science and technology" to read about their specific goals. RT Magazine: The Journal for Respiratory Care Professionals http://www.rtmagazine.com/Articles.ASP?articleid=R9902A04 This journal article, "Aerosolized Administration of Drugs," was written for health care professionals. It discusses the administration of medicine to the respiratory tract via aerosol. The New England Journal of Medicine http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/347/19/1512 http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/short/348/1/50 These two technical articles, "Genomic Medicine-A Primer" and "Population Screening in the Age of Genomic Medicine" are written by doctors for doctors. They may be helpful to teachers and students especially interested in medicine. Mad Sci Network http://www.madsci.org/MS_search.html A staff of science experts is available to answer nearly any question you may have. At this link, simply enter a "key term" for a question you have and you will see what answers have already been provided. http://www.madsci.org/info/class.html This link gives instructions for how this site can be most effectively used in your classroom and provides links to lessons. The Human Genome Project http://genome.pfizer.com
This is the official Web site for the Genome Exhibit, an exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. marking the fiftieth anniversary of the first model of DNA. Official Documents Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) http://www.cdc.gov/genomics/ This Web site provides links to information about CDC activities and projects that integrate advances in human genetics into public health research, policy, and programs. National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ Sponsored by the U.S. National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health, this site gives background information and updates on genetic science. American Society of Gene Therapy (ASGT) http://www.asgt.org/ This site offers information about the latest developments in gene therapy. The link to media information includes a list of important facts, a glossary, and copies of press releases (at the link to Media Information).
Bibliography Brownlee, S. (2001, January 15). Smart bombs for targeting deadly tumors. Time, pp. 70-72. Comarow, A. (2000, March 13). Healing the heart. U.S. News and World Report, pp. 54-64. Golden, F. (2001, January 15). Not just for prevention anymore. Time, p. 95. Jaroff, L. (2001, January 15). Beyond needles and pills. Time, pp. 94-95. Lemonic, M. D. (2001, January 15). Brave new pharmacy. Time, pp. 58-67. Sobel, R. (2000, March 13). A tailor-made vaccine: Scientists try a new strategy to combat cancer. U.S. News and World Report, p. 53. Weed, W. S. (2000, June). Smart pills: How about a little Viagra for your memory? Discover, p. 82.

Appendices
Appendix A: Glossary (Printer-Friendly Format)
AIDS: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. First reported in 1981, it has since become a major global epidemic, killing over 10 million people and infecting tens of millions more. The disease is caused by HIV, a virus that destroys the body's ability to fight infections and certain cancers. Go to the NHGRI glossary for more information. Alzheimer's: A mental disorder that gradually destroys vital nerve cells in the brain. Symptoms include loss of memory, judgment and reasoning, and changes in mood and behavior. It is not a normal part of aging. Antibiotics: Drugs that fight infections. Antibodies: Protein molecules produced by the body to fight infection or disease. Artery: Blood vessel carrying blood away from the heart.
Arthritis: An inflammatory condition that often causes pain, swelling, and stiffness in the joints, often making even minor movements uncomfortable or painful. Blood pressure: The pressure caused by the blood moving against the walls of the blood vessels, especially the arteries. It varies with the strength of the heartbeat, the flexibility of the arterial walls, the amount of the blood, and a person's health, age, and physical condition. Normal adult blood pressure is 120/80. If a person has high blood pressure, medication is often prescribed to lower the pressure. Cancer: A general term for more than 100 diseases that are characterized by uncontrolled and rapid growth of abnormal cells. Cancer cells can spread locally or through the bloodstream to other parts of the body. Chemotherapy: The treatment of cancer using specific chemical agents or drugs that harm fast-growing cells. This treatment kills fast-growing cancer cells, but often harms other fast-growing cells as well, such as the cells for hair and fingernails. Cholesterol: A white substance found in many foods that is an important element in cell walls in the body. An unusually high level of cholesterol in the blood is often a symptom of heart disease. Colon: A section of the large intestine, in the digestive tract. The total length is approximately 5 feet (approx. 150 centimeters) in the adult. It is responsible for forming, storing, and expelling waste. Diagnose: To identify a person as having a certain disease or condition. Genomic: (adj.) (medicine, treatment, drugs, researchers) Using genetic material or research. Heart disease: A problem that prevents the heart from working normally. This problem can be with the heart's shape or how the heart works, or with the blood vessels supplying the heart. Human Genome Project: An international research project to map each human gene and to completely sequence human DNA. (See NHGRI glossary for more information.) Hypodermic needle: A hollow needle used to inject medicine or drugs directly into the blood. Immune system: The body system, made up of many organs and cells, that defends the body against infection, disease and foreign substances. The immune system is often stimulated in specific ways to fight cancer cells. Inhaler: A hand-held device used to take medicine by breathing in through the nose or mouth. Also called inhalator. Leptin: A hormone produced by fat cells for regulation of appetite. It controls how much you want to eat, how much of the food your body stores, and how much is used for energy. Liver: A large organ in animals that is important for digesting food and removing waste products. Mental illness: Any of various conditions which cause problems with a person's normal thinking, feeling, or behavior, and caused by social, psychological, biochemical, genetic, or other factors, such as infection or head trauma. Also called emotional illness, mental disease, mental
disorder. Microchip: An extremely small piece of semiconducting material, which can contain a very large amount of information. Neuron: A cell that sends electrical signals across distances. Neurons receive input from sensory cells or other neurons and send messages to muscles or other neurons. Obesity: (n), Obese (adj.) (1) Having too much body fat. Parkinson's: A problem with the central nervous system. A neurological disease that continues to get worse. Symptoms include uncontrolled shaking of the body and difficulties with muscular coordination. Poison: A substance that causes injury, illness, or death Protein: Essential components of all living cells that allow a body to function work well (including enzymes, hormones, and antibodies). Proteins are essential in the diet of animals for the growth and repair of tissue. Radioactive isotope: Elements with an unstable nucleus that act as poisons, killing cancer cells without destroying other parts of the body. Skin patch: A small piece of material put on the skin. It contains medicine that gradually enters the body through the skin. Smart bomb: A genomic drug that contains natural antibodies targeted directly at cancer cells. Swallow: (v) To cause (food or drink, for example) to pass through the mouth and throat into the stomach. Symptom: An indication of disorder or disease that signals a change from normal function, sensation, or appearance. Trophic compounds: The body's natural substances that help cells grow and develop. Tumor: A mass of abnormal cells that are the result of rapid cell division. Tumors perform no useful body function. They may be either benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous). Ultrasonic: (adj.) (1) Sounds that the human ear cannot hear. (2) Of or relating to acoustic frequencies above the range that the human ear can hear, or above approximately 20,000 hertz. Vaccine: Weakened or dead poisonous cells injected into the blood in order to stimulate the production of antibodies.
Appendix B: Handout 1 for Activity (Printer-Friendly Format)
Conventional Medicine
Genomic Medicine
a. Traditional drugs cannot tell whether a cell is healthy or sick. They therefore kill both types of cells. For example, chemotherapy, which is used to treat cancer patients, kills both healthy and unhealthy cells. This is why patients are often very ill and lose their hair after receiving this treatment. b. Doctors are unable to treat patients until they show symptoms. Only at this point can they diagnose the disease and prescribe drugs. c. Using traditional medicine, doctors are only able to treat the symptoms of the disease. If these drugs are successful, the symptoms go away but the disease remains. For example, people suffering from diabetes can take insulin to keep their blood sugar levels stable. But they still suffer from diabetes and will have to take insulin for the rest of their lives. d. Today, most drugs are taken by pill or hypodermic injection. e. Different types of medicines are used to treat the same condition. For example, six drugs are used to treat high blood pressure. The drug used depends on the patient and his/her symptoms.
1. Using this technology, doctors will be able to cure the causes of diseases.
2. Only one drug will be needed to treat a disease in any patient.
3. Genomic drugs will be able to find and kill sick cells (for example, in cancer patients), leaving healthy ones.
4. In the future, doctors will be able to treat patients before they even become sick. 5. To take these drugs, people will use inhalers, skin patches, and even ultrasonic devices or microchips inside their bodies.
Answer Key for Activity 1 Traditional Medicine Genomic Medicine
c. Using traditional medicine, doctors are only able to treat the symptoms of the disease. If these drugs are successful, the symptoms go away but the disease remains.
e. Different types of medicines are used to treat the same condition. For example, six drugs are used to treat high blood pressure. The drug used depends on the patient and his/her symptoms.
a. Traditional drugs cannot tell whether a cell is healthy or sick. They therefore kill both types of cells. For example, chemotherapy, which is used to treat cancer patients, kills both healthy and unhealthy cells. This is why patients are often very ill and lose their hair after receiving this treatment.
3. Genomic medicines will be able to find and kill only sick cells (for example, in cancer patients), leaving healthy ones.
b. Doctors are unable to treat patients until they show symptoms. Only at this point can they diagnose the disease and prescribe drugs.
4. In the future, doctors will be able to treat patients before they even become sick.
d. Today, most drugs are taken by pill or hypodermic injection.
5. To take these drugs, people will use inhalers, skin patches, and even ultrasonic devices or microchips inside their bodies.
Appendix C: Handout 2 for Activity 2 (Printer-Friendly Format) Scenario 1: A 58-year-old man from the United States was suffering from bone cancer. His cancer was not cured by traditional drugs such as chemotherapy. He was weak and even shrank several centimeters in height. His doctors knew about an experimental genomic treatment that involved taking cells from the patients blood and mixing them with cancer cells. This new mixture would be injected into his body to help his immune system fight the cancer. Scenario 2: A 61-year-old woman from Germany had a tumor the size of an egg in her kidney. German scientists could create a special vaccine just for her. To do this, they would take some cancer cells from her and mix them with cells from a healthy persons immune system. They then would inject this cell mixture into her.
Handout 3 for Activity 2
Role Play 1 Participants: Patient, parent, aunt or uncle, sibling) Doctor, Relative of the patient (spouse,
Situation: A patient goes to the doctor to receive test results. The doctor tells him/her that the disease he/she has is not treatable with traditional drugs. The patient then asks about other ways to treat the disease. The doctor explains that there is an experimental treatment available. The patient, the relative, and the doctor discuss this option. The doctor wants to convince the patient to try the experimental treatment. The relative wants to convince the patient not to try it.
Role Play 2 Participants: Patient cured using experimental treatment; Genomic medicine scientist who devised the treatment; Television talk show host Scenario: Following a miracle cure, a genomic scientist and his/her patient are invited to appear on a local television talk show. The patient is reluctant to appear on television. The scientist who helped cure the patient and the talk show host try to convince the patient to appear on the show to help publicize the potential of genomic medicine.
Actual Results of Scenarios in Handout 2 Scenario 1: Two weeks after his experimental treatment, the patient was strong enough to return to work and within two months, his cancer was in remission. Scenario 2: Within three months, the patient had only a few side effects (such as pain in the tumor area and mild fevers) and the tumor had disappeared.
Appendix D: Handout 1 for Students in Group A (Printer-Friendly Format)
Case 1: Smart Pills Scientists have used genetic engineering to create fruit flies with high levels of memory protein. This protein makes memorizing easier and helps fruit flies remember what they have memorized longer. Now that the scientists know this works in fruit flies, they are trying to find this memory protein in humans. This protein could be put into pills. Such smart pills would last a few hours. They would allow people to remember facts almost instantly and without the effort of repetition.
Handout 1 for Students in Group B Case 2: Repairing Damaged Neurons Parkinsons disease is a disease that damages a persons brain. Over time, the patients brain becomes filled with a harmful protein substance. This substance destroys or damages neurons that transmit signals from the brain to the body. Scientists have not found a way to stop this substance from forming. However, to protect healthy neurons and to repair damaged nerve cells, genomic scientists are looking into using trophic compounds, the bodys natural substances that help cells grow and develop. They are currently testing a trophic compound that can travel into the brain and act like a bath, covering and protecting both healthy and damaged cells.
Handout 1 for Students in Group C
Case 3: Fat Pills Genomic scientists are currently identifying the genes that are involved in obesity. The hormone leptin was discovered in 1994, when scientists noticed that this hormone was absent in especially fat laboratory rats. Further research showed that certain obese children who also lacked leptin lost as much as 4 pounds a month when they were given this hormone. Subsequent trials with the leptin hormone have shown, however, that not all people lose weight when they receive this hormone. Scientists and drug companies are trying to find other chemicals in the body that are related to obesity. Handout 1 for Students in Group D Case 4: Combating Heart Disease Doctors are currently using drugs called statins that stop the body from making too much cholesterol. These drugs do not work for everyone, however, so drug companies are trying to create a new cholesterol removing drug. Instead of stopping the body from making cholesterol in the cell, this drug will remove cholesterol from cells. The cholesterol would go first to the liver and then eventually leave the body. This new drug, taken with statins, would remove all harmful cholesterol from the body.
Appendix E: Handout 2 for Activity 3 (Printer-Friendly Format) Problem Name of the Drug/Treatment Effects of the Drug/Treatment
Answer Key for Activity 3 Problem Memorizing information Name of the Drug/Treatment Smart Pills (memory proteins) Effects of the Drug/Treatment
memorization
Accelerates the pace of Improves the retention of

memorized information
Makes memorization of facts

almost instant
Parkinsons disease
Trophic compound
Helps the bodys cells grow and develop faster Allows the growth of new and undamaged neurons in the brain Acts like a bath covering both healthy and damaged brain cells
Obesity
Leptin (hormone)
Helps control weight and weight gain

weight more easily
Allows obese individuals to lose
Heart disease
Cholesterol extracting drug
Extracts harmful cholesterol from the cells Prevents cholesterol from remaining in the heart or arteries
Virtually eliminates harmful cholesterol from the body when taken with statins (a drug that stops the body from manufacturing excess cholesterol)
Appendix F: Diseases
Sample Blackboard Layout for Cool Down Activity (Printer-Friendly Format) Ranking
1. AIDS 2. cancer 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. mental illness obesity arthritis/other immune system diseases Alzheimers heart disease Parkinsons obesity
10. memory loss
11. ______________ (your choice) 12. ______________ (your choice)
Chapter 1: Mapping the Human Genome
Glossary Appendix A:
Alzheimer's: A mental disorder that gradually destroys vital nerve cells in the brain. Symptoms include loss of memory, judgment, and reasoning, as well as changes in mood and behavior. It is not a normal part of aging. Amino Acid: Any of 20 basic elements that make proteins. Bacteria: A tiny one-cell organism that reproduces by cell division. Biologist: A person who studies plants, animals, and humans. Many biologists now do research on genetics. Cell (human): In biology, a structure surrounded by a membrane and containing genetic material (DNA) on the inside. Considered by most biologists to be the basic unit of life. Chromosome: In organisms without a nucleus (such as bacteria), this is a circular DNA molecule used in genetic engineering. In organisms with a nucleus (including plants and humans), this is one of the threadlike structures within the nucleus that contains DNA. Diabetes: A disorder caused by the body's decreased production or use of insulin (a hormone produced by the pancreas cells need to be able to use blood sugar). Diagnostic test: Tests used to identify a particular disease or characteristic. DNA: (deoxyribonucleic acid) A molecule in the form of a double helix , found within a structure known as a chromosome, within the nucleus of every living cell. First discovered in the 19th century, it controls the daily operation of a cell, and provides the genetic "blueprint" for the physical characteristics of all living organisms. Gene: A small stretch of DNA that directs the production of proteins. A hereditary unit that occupies a specific position (locus) on the chromosome. This unit has a specific effect on the physical characteristics of the organism. Gene mapping: Finding the relative positions of genes on a DNA molecule (chromosome) and of the distance between them. Genetics: The study of heredity. Hereditary disease: A physical disorder that is inherited from parents or grandparents rather than caused by environmental factors. Heredity: The passing of certain traits from parents to their offspring through the genes.
Human genome: The complete set of genes in a cell that creates a living organism. Human genome project: The scientific project to "read" the DNA of human chromosomes. Consists of not one project, but rather hundreds of separate research projects conducted throughout the world. The objective is to create a directory of the genes that can be used to answer questions such as what specific genes do and how they work. Inherited trait: Ways of looking or being that are caused by the genetic make-up or environment of a living organism. Learned traits: Ways of looking or being that are caused by the environment of a living organism. Molecule: A chemical entity consisting of two or more atoms of the same or different elements chemically bonded together. Nucleus (of a cell): The control center of the cell that contains chromosomes and controls the cell's actions. Organism: Any living thing, either vegetable or animal. Protein: The "building blocks" of our bodies that contain substances such as hormones and antibodies to regulate body functions. RNA: (ribonucleic acid) Like DNA, this is another molecule that is important in genetics. It is different from DNA because it is single stranded (not double stranded). Trait: Ways of looking or being. Traits that are genetic are passed down through the genes from parents to their children Transforming factor: Something that causes a change. White blood cells: Cells that circulate in the blood and work as part of the immune system to fight off "foreign bodies" that cause disease.
Glossary Appendix B
Handout 1 for Students in Group A 1866 Gregor Mendel, an Austrian monk, described basic elements of heredity (these are now called genes).
1860s
Friedrich Miescher, a Swiss chemist, did research on the chemical composition of white blood cellss. He discovered two types of molecules in the nucleus of the blood cellsribonucleic acid (RNA) and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).
Handout 1 for Students in Group B 18701900 There were no major findings during this period. Scientists knew that DNA played some part in heredity but its structure seemed too simple to play a major role in heredity. During this period, scientists thought that proteins (with their much more complex structure) played the most important role in heredity.
1902
At Columbia University in New York City, a medical student began to study whether chromosomes were made up of genes and if all cells in the body contained these genes.
Handout 1 for Students in Group C 1920s Frederick Griffith, an English physician, accidentally discovered a transforming factor while doing experiments with bacteria. When this factor was taken from one bacteria and put into another, it caused changes in the second bacteria.
1934
Griffiths colleague, Oswald Avery, conducted a 10-year study to identify the transforming factor. His experiments found that neither proteins nor RNA carry genetic information. He then wondered if DNA was the transforming agent. To answer this question, he conducted an experiment. In it, he destroyed the DNA in the first bacteria. When the DNA was destroyed, no hereditary information was transmitted to the second bacteria. Avery then concluded that DNA causes changes in the second bacteria by transmitting traits from the first bacteria.
Handout 1 for Students in Group D 1953 James Watson, an American geneticist, and Francis Crick, a British biophysicist, discovered the structure of DNA. To do this, they used X-ray photographs of DNA taken by New Zealand biophysicist Maurice Wilkins. Until this time, it was not known how DNA made a copy of itself in order to transmit genetic information to other cells. The three men won the Nobel Prize for their discovery in 1962.
1960s
Marshall Nirenberg, an American biochemist, and Har Gobind Khorana, an American biochemist born in India, decoded DNA and discovered the building blocks of DNA. This code consists of four chemical units, represented by the letters A (adenine), T (thymine), C (cytosine), and G (guanine). Each string of letters produces a specific Amino Acid. When these Amino Acids are combined, they create human traits such as eye color and genetic diseases.
Handout 1 for Students in Group E 1977 Frederick Sanger, a British biologist, developed a method to decode the entire DNA strings in one bacteria. This was the first living organism to be totally decoded.
1990
Agencies of the U.S. government fund a 15-year project to sequence the human genome. This is a map of the cells inner workings and of all the chemicals produced by DNA that determine human characteristics and behavior.
Handout 1 for Students in Group F 1999 The Human Genome Project finishes sequencing the first human chromosome.
June 2000
Both the U.S. government-sponsored Human Genome Project and a privately funded research group announce that they have a draft of the first human genome.
Glossary Appendix C Handout 2 for Activity 2 1. How many pages of newspaper would it take to write out all the DNA in one human cell? a. 10%
2. How many DNA letters are contained in the genome of a mouse?
b.
99.9%
3. How many DNA letters are contained in the human genome?
c. between 30,000 and 140,000
4.
d.
less than 5%
5. What percentage of human genes cannot be understood with current technology?
e.
3,100,000,000
6. What percentage of all human DNA creates the genes in our body?
f.
2,300,000,000
g.
195
8. How many scientists did it take to decode the entire genome of the common fruit fly?
h.
100,000
Answer Key for Activity 2

h. 1. How many pages of newspaper would it take to write out all the DNA in one human cell?
f.
2.
How many DNA letters are contained in the genome of a mouse?
e.
3.
How many DNA letters are contained in the human genome?
c.
4.
a.
5.
What percentage of the genetic code cannot be deciphered with current technology?
d.
6.
What percentage of all human DNA creates the genes in our body?
b.
7.
What percentage of each humans DNA is identical to that of every other human being?
g.
8.
How many scientists did it take to decode the entire genome of the common fruit fly?
Glossary
Appendix D Blackboard Layout for Activity 3 Benefits of DNA Research a. b. c. d. e. f. g. Tally of Class Opinions XXX XXXX etc.
Handout 3 for Activity 3 _____ a. Pharmaceutical companies will be able to create drugs tailored to a persons genetic profile.
_____
b. Doctors will be able to describe diseases more clearly (for example, they will be able to determine what type of breast cancer a patient has).
_____
c. Doctors will be able to predict a persons chances of getting serious diseases such as heart disease or Alzheimers.
_____
d. Scientists will be able to predict new technologies such as DNA chips and microarrays that show which genes are active in a tissue sample.
_____
e. Scientists will be able to find genes that trigger certain diseases (for example, it will find the genes responsible for diabetes or obesity).
_____
f. Scientists will be able to manipulate the genes for memory, hormones, learning, and human growth and development.
_____
g. Scientists will be able to produce comprehensive data bases of DNA sequences in genes that will assist in genetic research.
Chapter 2: Controversial Issues in Gene Research

Appendix A Glossary
Afflict: Cause pain or suffering. Ancestry: The descendants or blood relative of one individual. Blood clotting: A process in which liquid blood changes into a semisolid (a blood clot). Carrier: An individual who does not show symptoms of a disease but has the genes for it and can transfer it to his/her child. Cell (human): In biology, a structure surrounded by a membrane and containing genetic material (DNA) on the inside. Considered by most biologists to be the basic unit of life. Chromosome: In organisms without a nucleus (such as bacteria), this is a circular DNA molecule used in genetic engineering. In organisms with a nucleus (including plants and humans), this is one of the threadlike structures within the nucleus that contains DNA. Conduct: To act, guide, or manage (usually conduct research or experiments). Convict: To find or prove (someone) guilty of an offense or crime, especially through the verdict of a court. Destiny: Fate. A future that an individual cannot control. Detect: To notice; to find; often used to describe the discovery of a disease. Devastating: Terrible; causing great harm. DNA: (deoxyribonucleic acid) A molecule in the form of a double helix , found within a structure known as a chromosome, within the nucleus of every living cell. First discovered in the 19th century, it controls the daily operation of a cell, and provides the genetic "blueprint" for the physical characteristics of all living organisms. DNA testing: The analysis of human DNA, RNA, chromosomes, and proteins in order to detect the presence or potential presence of an inheritable disease. Ethics: A set of principles of proper conduct. A system of moral values. Extinct: No longer existing or living. Gene: A small stretch of DNA that directs the production of proteins. A hereditary unit that occupies a specific
position (locus) on the chromosome. This unit has a specific effect on the physical characteristics of the organism and can house one of many different allele forms (each allele causes a different trait). Genealogy: A record or chart of a persons extended family going back many generations; a family tree. Genetic make-up: All the chromosomes and the information they contain. The genes of an individual. Genetic testing: The checking of an individual's genetic material to predict present or future disability or disease, either in the individual or his/her children. Gene therapy (human): Insertion of normal DNA directly into cells to correct a genetic defect. Gene transfer: The movement of genetic material (DNA) from the laboratory into a human subject. Human genome: The full collection of genes in a human being. Immune system: A system which protects the body from disease causing agents. Inherited disease: A disease or disorder that is inherited genetically. Liver: An organ in the body which helps with metabolism, digestion, detoxification, and elimination of substances from the body. Malignant cells: Cells that grow uncontrollably. Obesity: The condition of having excessive body fat. Paralysis: The loss of motor functions; the inability to move ones muscles. Pharmaceutical companies: Companies that make drugs or medicines. Potential: 1. Possible. 2. Able to grow and develop. Side effect: An unexpected, usually undesirable reaction to a medicine or therapy. Tissue sample (human): A small portion of a group of similar cells taken for research of medical purposes. Trial: The formal presentation of evidence and arguments when a person is accused of a crime. Undergo: To experience; to endure; to suffer.

Appendix B Handout 1 for Warm Up Activity 1) I would have a genetic test to determine if I had the gene for an incurable disease. 2) I would allow a potential employer to administer a genetic test before hiring me. 3) I would ask my relatives to save samples of my DNA after my death. YES NO MAYBE
YES
NO
MAYBE
YES
NO
MAYBE
4) If I were accused of a crime, I would undergo a DNA test to prove my innocence.
YES
NO
MAYBE
5) I would pay a company to protect the privacy of my genetic information.
YES
NO
MAYBE
6) I would undergo gene therapy to cure a devastating or life threatening disease.
YES
NO
MAYBE
7) I would save the DNA of my dead loved ones.
YES
NO
MAYBE
8) I would use gene therapy to insure the sex or improve the genetic make-up of my unborn baby.
YES
NO
MAYBE

Appendix C Handout 2 for Activity 1 1) Four black men were convicted of the 1978 murders of a white couple in Chicago, Illinois in the U.S. Two of the men were on death row waiting to be executed when DNA evidence showed that they could not have been the ones who raped the woman victim. As a result, they were released from prison. Later, three other men confessed to the crime and were convicted.
2) After the execution of the last Russian Czar Nicholas and his family during the Russian Revolution, the bodies of the two youngest children, Alexis and Anastasia, were never found. Until her death in 1984, Anna Anderson claimed to be the long-lost Crown Princess Anastasia. In tests, her DNA was compared to that of Prince Philip of Great Britain, a descendant of the Russian royal family. There was no match. Her identity as Franzisca Schonzkowska was established when her DNA was compared with that of a Polish nephew.
3) Nancy Seeger, a 56-year-old woman from Illinois in the U.S., worried her whole life about developing breast cancer since both her mother and her aunt had died from this disease. She was tested and found to have an 85% risk of breast cancer and a 50 percent risk of ovarian cancer. As a result of this information, she decided to have surgery.
4) A woman from California in the U.S., Ginger Empey, had advancing breast cancer. Since it had already spread to major organs when diagnosed, gene therapy was the only choice. She was injected with a genetically-engineered drug. Over the next year, her tumors shrank by 25 percent. After 3 years, they almost disappeared.
5) Ms. X, had given her daughter up for adoption many years before and had agreed to conceal her identity. However, she was not happy with her decision. Later in life, she searched and found a young woman whom she believed to be her daughter. The young woman was not sure that Ms. X was her mother, especially because the woman who claimed to be her biological mother was Jewish and she was raised as a Christian. DNA testing was used to prove the parental link.
6) O. J. Simpson, a well-known U.S. sports figure, was arrested on June 17, 1994 as a suspect in the double murder of his ex-wife Nicole and her friend Ronald Goldman. In the trial, DNA testing showed that blood found at the crime scene belonged to Simpson. This evidence was later successfully challenged by Simpsons lawyers. He was found not guilty.
7) Scientists recently discovered the completely frozen carcass of a wooly mammoth, an ice age animal that has been extinct for thousands of years. They are hoping to extract DNA from the frozen animal and use it to recreate this species.

Appendix D Case Study for Activity 2 Michelle Nicole Allen was born in 1978. A few months after her birth, it was determined that she suffered from sickle cell anemia, a blood disease common in people of African American descent. In 1983, Michelles mother became pregnant again and gave birth to a son, Michael, who developed the disease seven months later. Both children spent much of their childhood in hospitals. Michelle has now reached adulthood despite this grave illness. Michael is in his teens and, despite being hospitalized more often than his older sister, leads an active life that includes playing four musical instruments. Their mother is glad there was no genetic test available for sickle cell anemia when she was pregnant. Michelle, at age 21, became pregnant and gave birth to a son, Philip. Before his birth, she was given the option of having genetic tests to determine if her son was a carrier for sickle cell. She opted against this test. Since Philip was born, he has been tested four times. Three times he tested positive and once negative. The family must now wait to see if Philip will develop the disease. It is their hope that the third generation of their family will not suffer from this illness.
Sample Dilemmas for Activity 2
Michelles mothers dilemmas:

q
Whether or not to have a second child who might also have sickle cell anemia
q
Whether she should protect her childrens health or allow them to lead an active, normal life Michelles dilemmas:
q
Whether or not to get pregnant at all

q
Whether to have a genetic test to determine if her unborn child is a carrier of sickle cell anemia
q
What to do if Philip develops the disease Michaels dilemmas:
Whether or not to get married

q
Whether or not to have children

q
If his wife becomes pregnant, whether or not to allow genetic testing for the unborn child
Sample Phrases for Activity 2: Expressing an Opinion
Expressing an Opinion
Disagreeing
Agreeing
In my opinion
I can see your point but
Thats a good point because
Id like to say that
Im not sure I agree. I think
Thats my feeling, too.
I think that
But dont you think that
I couldnt agree more.
As I see it
Are you saying that?
I tend to agree with that.
Chapter 3: Cloning
Appendix A Glossary Breed: To produce (offspring); give birth or hatch. Clone: A population of identical molecules, cells, or organisms derived from a common source. Because no genetic material is combined (as in sexual reproduction), a clone is genetically identical to the parent. Consent: To indicate or express a willingness. Culture: Microorganisms, tissue cells, or other living matter grown in a specially prepared nutrient medium. Crop: Cultivated plants or agricultural produce, such as grains, vegetables, or fruit. Cystic fibrosis: (Abbreviation CF) A hereditary disease that usually develops during early childhood and mainly affects the pancreas, respiratory system, and sweat glands. It usually results in chronic respiratory infections and impaired pancreatic function. Dinosaur: Any of various extinct, often gigantic reptiles. Donor: One from whom blood, tissue, or an organ is taken for use in a transfusion or transplant. (Note: can also be used as an adjective, as in embryonic donor cells. Embryonic: 1. Of or relating to an embryo; 2. Of an organism prior to birth or hatching; as in in the embryonic stage. Emphysema: An abnormal condition of the lungs characterized by decreased respiratory function; associated with smoking, chronic bronchitis, or old age. Endangered: Faced with the danger of extinction: an endangered species. Fertilize: Make fertile or productive 2. Introduce semen into (a female). Fetal: Of, relating to, characteristic of, or being a fetus: a fertilized egg. Fission: An asexual (non-sexual) reproductive process in which a one-cell organism divides into two or more independently maturing cells. Fossil: A remnant or trace of an organism of a past geologic age, such as a skeleton or leaf imprint, embedded and preserved in rock.
Gaur: A large East Indian species of wild cattle. For more information: http://www.nature.ca/notebooks/english/gaur.htm Gregor Mendel: Founder of the science of genetics (18221884). An Austrian monk and botanist. Hemophilia: A genetic blood disorder in which the blood fails to clot normally. This disorder is hereditary and is due to a deficiency in or an abnormality of one of the clotting factors. Hemophilia is manifested almost exclusively in males. Hormone: A naturally occurring substance secreted by specialized cells that affects the behavior of other cells. Husbandry: 1.The act or practice of cultivating crops and breeding and raising livestock; agriculture. 2. The application of scientific principles to agriculture, especially to animal breeding. Implant: 1. To put an object or a device in a person or animal via surgery. Manipulate: To handle and move in an examination or for therapeutic purposes: manipulate a joint; manipulate the position of a fetus during delivery. Mitosis: The entire process of cell division including division of the nucleus and the cytoplasm. Nucleus: A large circular structure within a living cell that contains the cell's hereditary material and controls its metabolism, growth, and reproduction. Offspring: A child; a daughter or son. Organism: An individual life form, such as a plant or an animal; a body made up of organs or other parts that work together to carry out the various processes of life. Protein: The principal constituent of all cells, essentially consisting of combinations of amino acids and peptide linkages. Reject: To resist the introduction of (a transplanted organ or tissue); fail to accept as part of one's own body. Replicate: To make an exact copy or copies of (genetic material, a cell, or an organism). Reproduce: To generate offspring by sexual or asexual (non-sexual) means. Roots: The usually underground portion of a plant that serves as support, draws minerals and water from the surrounding soil, and sometimes stores food. Surrogate: One that takes the place of another; a substitute: a surrogate mother. Trait: A genetically determined characteristic or condition: a recessive trait. Transplant: To transfer (tissue or an organ) from one body or body part to another. Uterus: A hollow muscular organ located in the pelvic cavity of female mammals in which the fertilized egg implants and develops. Also called a womb. Via: 1. By way of. 2. By means of. Vital: Necessary to the continuation of life; life-sustaining: a vital organ, vital nutrients.
Woolly mammoth: Hairy extinct mammoth common in colder portions of the northern hemisphere. For more information: http://www.discovery.com/exp/mammoth/interactives.html Womb: A hollow muscular organ located in the pelvic cavity of female mammals in which the fertilized egg implants and develops. Also called a uterus.
Chapter 3: Cloning
Appendices B & C Appendix B Sample Student Handout 1 for Word Family Exercise Directions: Complete the chart with the missing parts of speech for each vocabulary item. Circle each word that is new for you, and ask your classmates or teacher for its definition. Verb Noun Adjective
to clone
a clone
cloning/ cloned
to replicate
to manipulate
to test
an implant
a reproduction
a rejection
a preservation
Appendix C Story for Warm Up Activity Very soon after the beginning of the world, God decided he was not too pleased with his creation.
He decided to destroy the earth by making it rain and flooding everything. However, to preserve those things that pleased him, he asked one of his faithful people, Noah, to help him. He came to Noah and told him that the world would be destroyed by flood. He gave Noah exact directions for building an ark, a boat that would be large enough to hold his entire family and two of every animal in creation. Noah set about building the ark as God had directed. Just as he completed it, a heavy rain began to fall. Noah loaded all the animal pairs, one male and one female of each species, onto the ark. It rained forty days and forty nights, and the rain destroyed everything on earth. God had instructed Noah not to leave the ark until it was safe. To see if it was safe, Noah sent a dove out from the ark to find dry land. When the dove returned with an olive branch, Noah knew it was safe to leave the ark. When all the animals and members of Noahs family had returned to dry land, a rainbow appeared in the sky. This was a sign that God would never again destroy the earth by water.
Chapter 3: Cloning
Appendix D Handout 2 for Students in Group A What is cloning? Unlike sexual reproduction, which combines the genetic material of two individuals, cloning involves creating a new organism or individual by copying the genetic material of only one original organism. Cloning can be done in two ways: (1) fission, a cell dividing into two cells or (2) mitosis, the nucleus of a cell dividing with each chromosome splitting into two. How does cloning work? In its most basic form, cloning involves three steps. In the first step, scientists take cells from an individual whose characteristics they want to copy. They place these cells, which are called donor cells, into a liquid culture. This culture contains nutrients and stops the cells from dividing. In the second step, an unfertilized egg is taken from a female. Its nucleus is removed, leaving an empty egg cell. The donor cell is then placed into the empty egg. This process creates an embryo that is an exact copy of the donor and not the mother. In the final step, the embryo is put into the uterus of a female of the species and arrives into the world via the natural birth process. What is the most famous case of cloning? Dolly the sheep. In 1997, scientists successfully cloned an adult mammal, the Finn Dorset sheep Dolly. Overnight, she became the most famous animal in the world. Although the technology used to clone Dolly was experimental at the time, it has proven useful in the years since she first appeared. Now, scientists are cloning cows, chickens, and pigs. They are also able to produce clones from animal fetal cells quite easily. Handout 2 for Students in Group B Which organisms are the most frequently cloned today? Plants. For centuries, people have taken roots or stems of plants in order to make genetically identical copies. Usually this is done by choosing the best plant (for example, the most decorative or unusual), cutting a root or branch from it, and placing that cutting in water or soil. The cells will then divide and double in size every six weeks until the cutting develops roots. At this point, it is ready to be planted. It will then grow into an exact copy of the parent plant. Is cloning unnatural? No, cloning already occurs in nature. In fact, the only way that many organisms (for example, bacteria, yeast, snails, and shrimp) can reproduce is through cloning. Mammals reproduce naturally only through sexual reproduction. Thus, only scientists working in a laboratory can clone a mammal. The problem with cloning, however, is that it does not improve the genetic makeup of a species. What is the difference between cloning and breeding? For years, specialists in animal husbandry have been able to breed characteristics in and out of animals, thereby creating improved animal breeds. For example, dog breeders have been able to control the genetic makeup of species to obtain certain physical characteristics such as eye or fur
color, size, or special abilities such as speed or herding. Breeding, however, is different from cloning in two ways. First, it can only be done with embryonic cells (cells that result in the production of offspring). Second, breeding does not produce an exact replica. Breeders can calculate the probability of obtaining a certain trait, but to actually obtain this trait they may have to try several times. With cloning, scientists can choose any healthy individual whose characteristics they wish to clone and create an exact copy by using cells from that animal. Handout 2 for Students in Group C What is the difference between an identical twin and a clone? Both identical twins and clones consist of the exact same genetic material. But a clone cannot be considered an identical twin of the donor because it does not share the same time in the womb. Twins experience the same environmental factors before birth (such as nutrition and exposure to stress, hormones, alcohol, and drugs), which play an enormous role in their physical and mental development. The clone, on the other hand, only shares genetic material with its donor and lacks the pre-natal environmental exposure of an identical twin. Could cloning be used to produce vital organs for transplant? Hypothetically yes. The only way to do this, however, would be to reproduce the entire individual, including its organs. This practice would raise ethical questions. Time is also a problem. It would take a long time for a donors organs to be mature enough to be removed from the donor and used for transplant. In addition, scientists are unsure whether transplanted organs from cloning would be accepted or rejected by the recipient individual. Handout 2 for Students in Group D Could endangered species be saved through cloning? Possibly. At the present time, the success of this is unlikely. It took 276 tries to clone Dolly the sheep. But if the success rate of cloning increases, it could be a way to increase the population of endangered species or animals that are difficult to breed. Could extinct species be revived using cloning? This would be more difficult. Cloning extinct animals poses two problems. First, donor cells must be taken from living organisms. Unless an extinct animal is found completely frozen (such as the wooly mammoth recently discovered in the Arctic), it would be impossible to find living cells. For example, because the fossil bones of dinosaurs contain no living cells, a dinosaur cannot be cloned. Second, current cloning technology requires a surrogate mother and an egg cell from a living female of the same species. Females normally cannot give birth to an animal from a different species. It is unlikely, for instance, that a female elephant could donate an egg cell and give birth to a wooly mammoth. Handout 2 for Students in Group E What are the benefits of cloning? We are more certain of obtaining desired traits through cloning than through conventional breeding. For example, cloning could benefit crop engineering by creating foods that are more nutritious, disease free, and plentiful. Cloning could also help in the prevention and cure of diseases. For instance, the same laboratory that created Dolly the sheep is now working to create eggs that contain anticancer proteins to prevent various forms of cancer (such as fast growing forms of skin cancer). Dolly herself was cloned to produce a sheep whose milk had more proteins that are believed to help treat diseases such as emphysema, hemophilia, and cystic fibrosis. Handout 2 for Students in Group F What are the disadvantages of cloning? One potential disadvantage of cloning is that breeding humans would become easier. While we have done this for centuries with other large animals such as race horses, cloning humans raises
moral and ethical concerns. There is great potential for abuse if humans are able to design their offspring. The ability to breed in or out certain traits would raise questions of how tall or how intelligent we would want our children to be, or what color skin and eyes we would want them to have. These are questions that make us uncomfortable. In addition, it would be problematic to invest so much in changing or improving human genetic makeup because we might ignore the impact that the environment has on an individuals development. A further problem is that clones could be misused, for example, as spare part tissues and organs or as slave labor.
Chapter 3: Cloning
Appendix E Handout 3 for Activity 1 1. What was the first adult mammal to be cloned? 2. What steps do scientists follow to clone a large animal (such as a pig or a cow)? 3. Is cloning something that only scientists can do? 4. What makes an identical twin different from a clone? 5. What is the controversy surrounding the cloning of organisms to produce vital organs? 6. Why can cloning be used on endangered species but not on extinct species? 7. Name two benefits and two drawbacks of cloning. Answer Key for Activity 1 1. Dolly the sheep 2. First, they extract a cell from a donor animal whose traits they want to replicate. Second, they place the donor cells in a liquid that stops cell division. Third, they take an unfertilized egg from a female of the same species and remove its nucleus. Fourth, they implant the donor cell into the egg cell. Finally, they implant the newly created embryo into the uterus of a female of the species. 3. No. Anyone can clone a plant by taking a cutting and placing it in a medium that allows it to grow, such as water or soil. In addition, many species such as bacteria reproduce themselves via cloning. 4. Identical twins share the exact same pre-natal environmental conditions, but clones do not share an environment with the donor cell. 5. First, it is currently impossible to produce just an organ. The production of a vital organ requires reproducing an entire individual. This takes time and raises the ethical question of consent of the cloned individual to have its organs used in this way. 6. Because cloning requires a live cell. Fossil bones usually contain no living cells unless they are preserved in ice. However, endangered species are still alive and living cells can be taken from them. 7. The benefits are: (1) it allows for exact replication of the donors traits or characteristics and (2) it can help in preventing and curing diseases through the reproduction of individuals that are free of certain diseases or that possess certain disease-fighting or disease-resistant proteins. The drawbacks are: (1) it opens the way for humans to play God by breeding human beings as if they were animals and (2) it may lead us to overestimate the impact that genes have on our behavior and identity.
Chapter 3: Cloning
Appendix F Handout 4 for Activity 2
Uses of Cloning 1. Scientists have successfully cloned five female pigs: Millie, Christa, Alexis, Carrel, and Dotcom. These pigs were the first ever to be cloned, thus contributing to basic scientific knowledge about cloning. Pigs are now being cloned as organ donors. This idea may sound strange and impossible, but pig organs (such as the heart and liver) are similar in form and function to those of other mammals. 2. Recently, the last of an endangered species of goat, the bucardo, died in a winter storm. The carcass of the animal was frozen and preserved. Scientists are preparing to recreate the species by cloning one of her cells and implanting it in the uterus of a female from another goat species. 3. Teruhiko Wakayama, a 31-year-old postdoctoral student at the University of Hawaii, decided to see if he could use the technology developed to produce Dolly the sheep to clone mice. Not only did he succeed but he perfected the technique so that 3 percent of his clones survived. The cloned mice were normal and their DNA was so robust that they themselves could be cloned and their clones could be cloned. They produced three generations of identical mice for a total of 50 mice. 4. Scientists are working on cloning hens that lay eggs that contain antibodies against cancer. These eggs could be a natural anticancer drug for those human beings who ate them. 5. Scientists discovered an intact woolly mammoth preserved in ice. Their excavation techniques allowed them to preserve the mammoth's soft tissue. Several labs around the world have proposed extracting DNA from this soft tissue to see of they can use it to clone the mammoth. 6. Scientists may be able to control aging through cloning. In the case of Dolly the sheep, her cells appeared to be the same age as the adult female donor from which she was cloned. In other words, she is older than her chronological age. However, in the case of six cloned cows created through a different cloning technique, their cells appear to be younger than the cow's actual chronological age.
Chapter 3: Cloning
Appendices G-H Appendix G (Printer-Friendly Format) Handout 5 for Activity 3: The Cloning Forum Persons name: Ken E-mail: tokyoken@mail.com From: Tokyo, Japan Opinion: I think that the cloning of Dolly is the most important scientific breakthrough ever. Its medical benefits alone justify spending money on the project. While there are obvious concerns about abusing the technology of cloning, history shows that we cannot turn back. What we need is government action to outline ethical codes for the use of cloning. ********************************************************************** Persons name: Richard E-mail: iowacityrich@stream.net From: Iowa City, Iowa Opinion: It is morally wrong under any circumstances to clone a human being and we should not even consider it. What is the use of cloning a human being? We already have a population problem in many countries. Where would we put any more people? Im also afraid that we arent wise enough to control this technology, which allows us to play God. ********************************************************************** Persons name: Wendy E-mail: funkychick@link.net From: San Bernardino, California Opinion: As an academic who is deeply interested in biological matters, I want to express my opinion about the cloning of Dolly. This opens up important opportunities in health and the environment. Wouldnt it be great if we could preserve all the endangered species of the world and bring the worlds ecosystem back into balance? Isnt this a better use of our resources than waging wars and developing new
technologies that further pollute our environment? Its true, however, that we could easily misuse the power that cloning provides us. Despite the fears that cloning could easily be abused, I believe that human beings can and have learned from their past mistakes and that we can make intelligent use of this new and exciting technology. ********************************************************************** Persons name: Kamil E-mail: linguist@nairobiu.com From: Nairobi, Kenya Opinion: There has been much discussion about the fact that a clone will provide a perfect source for donor organs. If we consider the clone as a life like any other, however, this raises the very serious ethical and moral dilemma of sacrificing one life to save another. I personally believe that this is unethical from any perspective. What it ultimately comes down to is choosing the value of the original over the value of the copy. While this may be true for works of art, it doesnt apply to sentient beings. ********************************************************************** Persons name: Christos E-mail: christos@athens.net From: Athens, Greece Opinion: Cloning of humans would create a very confusing society with doubles and triples of everyone walking around. How would we distinguish identity? Would clones be issued the same passports, drivers licenses, and identity cards? What about credit checks? How would the original individual prove that s/he was the original and not a copy? How would this change our understanding of individuality and self identity?
Appendix H (Printer-Friendly Format) Sample Blackboard Layout of Word Wheel for Cool Down Activity
Chapter 4: Biotechnology and Crop Engineering

Appendix A: Glossary; Dictionaries (Printer-Friendly Format) Allergy: (allergic, adjective) An abnormally high sensitivity to certain substances, such as pollens or foods. Common symptoms may include sneezing, itching, and skin rashes. Beta-carotene: Gives a reddish color to plants such as carrots and tomatoes. The liver can convert it into vitamin A. Food sources of this vitamin include vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, and other leafy green vegetables; and fruit such as cantaloupes and apricots (also see vitamin A). Biotechnology: A set of biological techniques developed through basic research. Now applied to research and product development. In particular, the use by industry of recombinant DNA, cell fusion, and new bioprocessing techniques. Modern biotechnology products include antibiotics, insulin, interferon, and techniques such as waste recycling. Much older forms of biotechnology include breadmaking, cheese making, and brewing wine and beer. Boll weevil: A worm that infects and kills cotton crops Breed (v) bred (irregular past tense): To develop new or improved kinds of animals or plants, chiefly through controlled mating and selection of offspring for desirable traits. Climate: The weather in a location averaged over a long period of time. Conduct: To do or manage an activity. Further studies need to be conducted Crop: (1) Cultivated plants (plants planted by farmers) or agricultural produce, such as grains, vegetables, or fruit. (2) The total amount of such produce harvested in a particular season or place. Crop engineering (or Genetic Crop Engineering): The manipulation of a plants genetic makeup by introducing, enhancing, or eliminating specific genes through modern molecular biology techniques. Crop yield: Total products (e.g. vegetables) resulting from growth or cultivation. Daffodil: A kind of flower. Diarrhea: Frequent and watery bowel movements, often accompanied with stomach pain. Drought: A long period of abnormally low rainfall, especially one that negatively affects growing or living conditions. Enrich (v), enriched (adj): To add nutrients to: The dairy enriched its milk with vitamin D. Frankenfood : A negative way to refer to GM foods, named after the fictional monster Frankenstein http://home-1.worldonline.nl/~hamberg/, who is a symbol of out of control science.
Gene: A hereditary unit that determines a particular characteristic in an organism. Genes exist in a number of different forms and can undergo mutation. Gene research: The study of genes and genetics. Genetic makeup / Genetic code: The entire DNA coding of an organism. Genetically modified (GM) food (or plant, crop) (n): The agricultural products of genetic engineering technology, for example, the introduction, enhancement, or deletion of particular characteristics in an organism by altering its DNA (genetic makeup). Examples of such modified foods or foods that will likely be modified in the near future include: apples, canola, corn, grapevines, lentils, lettuce, maize, papaya, peas, pineapples, potatoes, soy beans, sugarcane, tomatoes, and wheat. Genetically modify (v): The use of modern biotechnology to change the genetic makeup of an organism (a plant) by inserting individual gene(s) that have been isolated in the laboratory into the genome of a living organism. Golden rice: A genetically engineered form of rice (http://www.biotech-info.net/golden.html) which has been infused with vitamin A (a vitamin not usually found in rice). Gregor Mendel: Founder of the science of genetics (1822-1884). An Austrian monk and botanist. His breeding experiments on garden peas and subsequent formulation of the laws of heredity formed the basis for the study of genetics. Immune (v) (Immunity, (n): Protected against, infectious disease. Ingredient: One part of a mixture or recipe. Insect resistant: Description of a plant that is not affected (or is affected only minimally) by insects. Monarch butterfly: A type of butterfly common in North America. http://www.learner.org/jnorth/sm/aboutmbsf.html Nutrition: (1) Foods necessary for a healthy diet. (2) The physical and chemical process by which food is converted into body tissue. Pollen: The powder produced by seed plants, and most plentiful in Spring. A common cause of allergic reactions. Pesticide: A chemical that is used to kill unwanted organisms such as rats or weeds. These chemicals often act as nerve poisons, and they are hazardous to animals and humans. Some pesticides can cause nerve or liver damage, birth defects, and cancer in humans. Plant breeding: The genetic modification of crop plants, with the hopes of improving insect resistance and the nutritional content, as well as creating plants with high yield and enhanced quality. Plant trait: A genetically determined characteristic of a plant such as its height, resistance to insects and bad weather, and its typical crop yield. Rash: A skin eruption or reddening of the skin, often with itchiness. Resistant (adj) Resist (verb) Resistance (noun): (1) Relating to or conferring immunity (to disease or infection) (2) incapable of being affected disease resistant.
Seed: The fertilized ripened ovule of a flowering plant containing an embryo and capable normally of germination to produce a new plant. Shellfish: Any aquatic animal whose external covering consists of a shell, for example, oysters, clams, lobsters, and crabs. Symptom: Any evidence of disease or of a patients condition as perceived by the patient, diagnosis, or a change in a patients condition. Toxic: Poisonous. Trait: A genetically determined characteristic or condition. Transgenic: Having genes that have been transferred from another species or breed, for example, a transgenic plant, transgenic rice, transgenic technology, transgenic crops, and transgenic foods. Transfer (v): The movement of something from one place to another. Violently ill: Extremely sick. Vitamin A: A vitamin occurring principally in fish-liver oils, milk, and some yellow and dark green vegetables. Its deficiency causes hardening and roughening of the skin, night blindness, and degeneration of mucous membranes. Vomit (v): To lose the stomach contents through the mouth, often when feeling ill. Weed (n): A plant considered undesirable, unattractive, or troublesome, especially one growing where it is not wanted, as in a garden. On-Line Dictionaries Dictionary.com http://www.dictionary.com Checks several on-line dictionaries at once. Online Glossary http://filebox.vt.edu/cals/cses/chagedor/glossary.html An annotated agricultural and environmental biotechnology annotated dictionary. Encarta World English Dictionary http://dictionary.msn.com/ A free online dictionary that allows you to click on the word to hear its pronunciation. A free online encyclopedia and atlas are also available.

Appendix C: Handout for Activity 1
1. People with an allergy to nuts or shellfish might have an allergic

reaction to a genetically modified food (such as a tomato modified with an oyster gene).
+ + + + + + + + +
2. Millions of children today develop an eye disease or even go blind

because they dont eat foods with enough vitamin A. Yet scientists can genetically modify rice to contain vitamin A.
3. Scientists have been able to modify plants such as cotton and

corn so that they resist insects and disease
4. Because scientists can now produce plants that resist certain

insects , farmers may no longer need to use pesticides.
5. Genetically engineered plants often greatly increase crop yields. 6. Many food manufacturers are unwilling to state that their products
contain genetically modified food ingredients on the product label.
7. Genetically engineered plant genes might accidentally cross over

from a genetically modified kind of plant to a non-genetically modified kind of plant. This might destroy natural or wild kinds of this plant.
8. Through biotechnology, scientists can now develop grains (for

example, corn and rice) that contain many of the essential nutrients required for healthy physical development.
9. Recently, U.S. consumers of a brand of corn taco shells became

ill after eating the product. These taco shells had been manufactured using genetically modified corn.
10. Genetic engineering requires less technology and time than other
methods of plant breeding, which often require several years to grow plants with the desired traits.
+ +
11. In a study conducted at Cornell University in the United States, it

was found that pollen from genetically engineered corn killed monarch butterfly caterpillars .
Appendix B: Blackboard Layout for Warm Up Activity What I Know What I Want to Know What I Learned
Appendix D: Cases for Activity 2
1. Scientists at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology have modified the genes in rice to contain beta-carotene (or vitamin A). This improves its nutritional value and may help fight diseases related to a lack of vitamin A. 2. Scientists are currently modifying plant genes to improve their taste. For example, at the University of California at Davis, scientists created a species of flavor-savor tomato and are studying the genes that cause fruit to be sweet. 3. GM corn and cotton have been engineered to resist certain diseases and bugs, thereby increasing crop yield and decreasing the need for pesticides. 4. Biotechnology researchers are trying to make some foods more attractive. For example, they are attempting to develop a GM onion that wont make your eyes water when you cut it.

Appendix E: Blackboard Layout for Activity 2 (Printer-Friendly Format)
2 3
most valuable
least valuable
Appendix F: Handout 1 for Activity 3 (Printer-Friendly Format)
Circumstances
Grains make up 24.8% of the diet. It is a major exporter of foods. It is the secondlargest producer of GM foods. Grains make up 29.5% of the diet. It is the 3rd largest producer of GM crops. Grains make up 31% of the diet. It exports foods and most of its customers are in Europe. Grains make up 22.8% of the diet. It has recently experienced problems with its food supply (including mad cow disease in humans and illness in rats caused by GM potatoes). The government controls food imports.
Strongly in Favor
Somewhat in Favor
Opposed
Strongly in Favor
Somewhat in Favor
Opposed
Strongly in Favor
Somewhat in Favor
Opposed
Strongly in Favor
Somewhat in Favor
Opposed
Grains make up 24.3% of the diet. Impure food has been a problem here. France does not easily allow U.S. food imports because it wants to protect its own farmers. Grains make up 40.7% of the diet. Japanese citizens are concerned about food quality. There have been several incidents of food poisoning recently. Like France, Japan does not allow food imports to protect its own farmers. Grains make up 54.7% of the diet. It has a large population. Hunger was in part responsible for the Chinese revolution. Grains make up 62.6% of the diet. The per capita income is very low. Like China, it has a large population. In the 1960s, developed countries tried to tell Indian farmers what crops to grow, with disastrous results. Grains make up 23.6% of the diet. It is a major food exporter. It also has many large agricultural businesses. It has a history of strong consumer groups that influence government policy. It also has a government agency that directs food and drug safety.
Strongly in Favor
Somewhat in Favor
Opposed
Strongly in Favor
Somewhat in Favor
Opposed
Strongly in Favor
Somewhat in Favor
Opposed
Strongly in Favor
Somewhat in Favor
Opposed
Strongly in Favor
Somewhat in Favor
Opposed

Sample Blackboard Layout for Activity 3
Country Canada Argentina Brazil Great Britain France Japan China India United States
Strongly in Favor
Somewhat in Favor
Opposed
Appendix G: Answer Key for Activity 3 (Printer-Friendly Format)
Circumstances
Grains make up 24.8% of the diet. It is a major exporter of foods. It is the second-largest producer of GM foods. Grains make up 29.5% of the diet. It is the 3rd largest producer of GM crops.
Strongly in favor
Strongly in favor
Grains make up 31% of the diet. It exports foods and most of its customers are in Europe. Grains make up 22.8% of the diet. It has recently experienced problems with its food supply (including mad cow disease in humans and illness in rats caused by GM potatoes). The government controls food imports.
Somewhat in favor
Opposed
Grains make up 24.3% of the diet. Impure food has been a problem here. France does not easily allow U.S. food imports because it wants to protect its own farmers. Grains make up 40.7% of the diet. Japanese citizens are concerned about food quality. There have been several incidents of food poisoning recently. Like France, Japan does not allow food imports to protect its own farmers. Grains make up 54.7% of the diet. It has a large population. Hunger was in part responsible for the Chinese revolution. Grains make up 62.6% of the diet. The per capita income is very low. Like China, it has a large population. In the 1960s, developed countries tried to tell Indian farmers what crops to grow, with disastrous results. Grains make up 23.6% of the diet. It is a major food exporter. It also has many large agricultural businesses. It has a history of strong consumer groups that influence government policy. It also has a government agency that directs food and drug safety.
Opposed
Opposed
Strongly in favor
Somewhat in favor
Somewhat in favor
Appendix H: Sample On the one hand/on the other hand Paragraph for Extension 3 (Printer-Friendly Format)
Genetically engineered plants often increase crop yields significantly. On the one hand, we know that genetically engineered plants produce larger crops. This means that farmers have to spend less money on seeds and will earn more money with their larger crop yields. It also means that developing nations can feed their populations at a lower price and that this technology can help to reduce world hunger. On the other hand, if many farmers in a country plant the same crop and have increased crop yields, the price they get for their crops will go down. This will occur because, as the supply of a particular crop increases, the demand for it automatically decreases, thereby lowering the price the farmer can ask. This is bad news for farmers since it will not improve their economic situation and may even make it worse. Increased crop yields may also have a negative effect on the environment. Farmers tend to plant those crops that will bring in the most money. This means that they may overplant one type of crop and stop planting others. Eventually, this wears out the soil and causes other environmental problems.
Return to Top
Chapter 5: Drugs of the Future

Appendix A: Glossary
AIDS: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. First reported in 1981, it has since become a major global epidemic, killing over 10 million people and infecting tens of millions more. The disease is caused by HIV, a virus that destroys the body's ability to fight infections and certain cancers. Go to the NHGRI glossary for more information. Alzheimer's: A mental disorder that gradually destroys vital nerve cells in the brain. Symptoms include loss of memory, judgment and reasoning, and changes in mood and behavior. It is not a normal part of aging. Antibiotics: Drugs that fight infections. Antibodies: Protein molecules produced by the body to fight infection or disease. Artery: Blood vessel carrying blood away from the heart. Arthritis: An inflammatory condition that often causes pain, swelling, and stiffness in the joints, often making even minor movements uncomfortable or painful. Blood pressure: The pressure caused by the blood moving against the walls of the blood vessels, especially the arteries. It varies with the strength of the heartbeat, the flexibility of the arterial walls, the amount of the blood, and a person's health, age, and physical condition. Normal adult blood pressure is 120/80. If a person has high blood pressure, medication is often prescribed to lower the pressure. Cancer: A general term for more than 100 diseases that are characterized by uncontrolled and rapid growth of abnormal cells. Cancer cells can spread locally or through the bloodstream to other parts of the body. Chemotherapy: The treatment of cancer using specific chemical agents or drugs that harm fast-growing cells. This treatment kills fast-growing cancer cells, but often harms other fast-growing cells as well, such as the cells for hair and fingernails. Cholesterol: A white substance found in many foods that is an important element in cell walls in the body. An unusually high level of cholesterol in the blood is often a symptom of heart disease. Colon: A section of the large intestine, in the digestive tract. The total length is approximately 5 feet (approx. 150 centimeters) in the adult. It is responsible for forming, storing, and expelling waste. Diagnose: To identify a person as having a certain disease or condition. Genomic: (adj.) (medicine, treatment, drugs, researchers) Using genetic material or research. Heart disease: A problem that prevents the heart from working normally. This problem can be with the heart's
shape or how the heart works, or with the blood vessels supplying the heart. Human Genome Project: An international research project to map each human gene and to completely sequence human DNA. (See NHGRI glossary for more information.) Hypodermic needle: A hollow needle used to inject medicine or drugs directly into the blood. Immune system: The body system, made up of many organs and cells, that defends the body against infection, disease and foreign substances. The immune system is often stimulated in specific ways to fight cancer cells. Inhaler: A hand-held device used to take medicine by breathing in through the nose or mouth. Also called inhalator. Leptin: A hormone produced by fat cells for regulation of appetite. It controls how much you want to eat, how much of the food your body stores, and how much is used for energy. Liver: A large organ in animals that is important for digesting food and removing waste products. Mental illness: Any of various conditions which cause problems with a person's normal thinking, feeling, or behavior, and caused by social, psychological, biochemical, genetic, or other factors, such as infection or head trauma. Also called emotional illness, mental disease, mental disorder. Microchip: An extremely small piece of semiconducting material, which can contain a very large amount of information. Neuron: A cell that sends electrical signals across distances. Neurons receive input from sensory cells or other neurons and send messages to muscles or other neurons. Obesity: (n), Obese (adj.) (1) Having too much body fat. Parkinson's: A problem with the central nervous system. A neurological disease that continues to get worse. Symptoms include uncontrolled shaking of the body and difficulties with muscular coordination. Poison: A substance that causes injury, illness, or death Protein: Essential components of all living cells that allow a body to function work well (including enzymes, hormones, and antibodies). Proteins are essential in the diet of animals for the growth and repair of tissue. Radioactive isotope: Elements with an unstable nucleus that act as poisons, killing cancer cells without destroying other parts of the body. Skin patch: A small piece of material put on the skin. It contains medicine that gradually enters the body through the skin. Smart bomb: A genomic drug that contains natural antibodies targeted directly at cancer cells. Swallow: (v) To cause (food or drink, for example) to pass through the mouth and throat into the stomach. Symptom: An indication of disorder or disease that signals a change from normal function, sensation, or appearance. Trophic compounds: The body's natural substances that help cells grow and develop. Tumor: A mass of abnormal cells that are the result of rapid cell division. Tumors perform no useful body
function. They may be either benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous). Ultrasonic: (adj.) (1) Sounds that the human ear cannot hear. (2) Of or relating to acoustic frequencies above the range that the human ear can hear, or above approximately 20,000 hertz. Vaccine: Weakened or dead poisonous cells injected into the blood in order to stimulate the production of antibodies.

Appendix B: Handout 1 for Activity Conventional Medicine Genomic Medicine
a. Traditional drugs cannot tell whether a cell is healthy or sick. They therefore kill both types of cells. For example, chemotherapy, which is used to treat cancer patients, kills both healthy and unhealthy cells. This is why patients are often very ill and lose their hair after receiving this treatment. b. Doctors are unable to treat patients until they show symptoms. Only at this point can they diagnose the disease and prescribe drugs. c. Using traditional medicine, doctors are only able to treat the symptoms of the disease. If these drugs are successful, the symptoms go away but the disease remains. For example, people suffering from diabetes can take insulin to keep their blood sugar levels stable. But they still suffer from diabetes and will have to take insulin for the rest of their lives. d. Today, most drugs are taken by pill or hypodermic injection. e. Different types of medicines are used to treat the same condition. For example, six drugs are used to treat high blood pressure. The drug used depends on the patient and his/her symptoms.
3. Genomic drugs will be able to find and kill sick cells (for example, in cancer patients), leaving healthy ones.
4. In the future, doctors will be able to treat patients before they even become sick. 5. To take these drugs, people will use inhalers, skin patches, and even ultrasonic devices or microchips inside their bodies.
Answer Key for Activity 1 Traditional Medicine Genomic Medicine
c. Using traditional medicine, doctors are only able to treat the symptoms of the disease. If these drugs are successful, the symptoms go away but the disease remains.
e. Different types of medicines are used to treat the same condition. For example, six drugs are used to treat high blood pressure. The drug used depends on the patient and his/her symptoms.
a. Traditional drugs cannot tell whether a cell is healthy or sick. They therefore kill both types of cells. For example, chemotherapy, which is used to treat cancer patients, kills both healthy and unhealthy cells. This is why patients are often very ill and lose their hair after receiving this treatment.
3. Genomic medicines will be able to find and kill only sick cells (for example, in cancer patients), leaving healthy ones.
b. Doctors are unable to treat patients until they show symptoms. Only at this point can they diagnose the disease and prescribe drugs.
4. In the future, doctors will be able to treat patients before they even become sick.
d. Today, most drugs are taken by pill or hypodermic injection.
5. To take these drugs, people will use inhalers, skin patches, and even ultrasonic devices or microchips inside their bodies.

Appendix C: Handout 2 for Activity 2 Scenario 1: A 58-year-old man from the United States was suffering from bone cancer. His cancer was not cured by traditional drugs such as chemotherapy. He was weak and even shrank several centimeters in height. His doctors knew about an experimental genomic treatment that involved taking cells from the patients blood and mixing them with cancer cells. This new mixture would be injected into his body to help his immune system fight the cancer. Scenario 2: A 61-year-old woman from Germany had a tumor the size of an egg in her kidney. German scientists could create a special vaccine just for her. To do this, they would take some cancer cells from her and mix them with cells from a healthy persons immune system. They then would inject this cell mixture into her.
Handout 3 for Activity 2 Role Play 1 Participants: Patient, (spouse, parent, aunt or uncle, sibling) Doctor, Relative of the patient
Situation: A patient goes to the doctor to receive test results. The doctor tells him/her that the disease he/she has is not treatable with traditional drugs. The patient then asks about other ways to treat the disease. The doctor explains that there is an experimental treatment available. The patient, the relative, and the doctor discuss this option. The doctor wants to convince the patient to try the experimental treatment. The relative wants to convince the patient not to try it.
Role Play 2 Participants: Patient cured using experimental treatment; Genomic medicine scientist who devised the treatment; Television talk show host Scenario: Following a miracle cure, a genomic scientist and his/her patient are invited to appear on a local television talk show. The patient is reluctant to appear on television. The scientist who helped cure the patient and the talk show host try to convince the patient to appear on the show to help publicize the potential of genomic medicine.
Actual Results of Scenarios in Handout 2 Scenario 1: Two weeks after his experimental treatment, the patient was strong enough to return to work and within two months, his cancer was in remission. Scenario 2: Within three months, the patient had only a few side effects (such as pain in the tumor area and mild fevers) and the tumor had disappeared.

Appendix D: Handout 1 for Students in Group A Case 1: Smart Pills Scientists have used genetic engineering to create fruit flies with high levels of memory protein. This protein makes memorizing easier and helps fruit flies remember what they have memorized longer. Now that the scientists know this works in fruit flies, they are trying to find this memory protein in humans. This protein could be put into pills. Such smart pills would last a few hours. They would allow people to remember facts almost instantly and without the effort of repetition.
Handout 1 for Students in Group B Case 2: Repairing Damaged Neurons Parkinsons disease is a disease that damages a persons brain. Over time, the patients brain becomes filled with a harmful protein substance. This substance destroys or damages neurons that transmit signals from the brain to the body. Scientists have not found a way to stop this substance from forming. However, to protect healthy neurons and to repair damaged nerve cells, genomic scientists are looking into using trophic compounds, the bodys natural substances that help cells grow and develop. They are currently testing a trophic compound that can travel into the brain and act like a bath, covering and protecting both healthy and damaged cells.
Handout 1 for Students in Group C
Case 3: Fat Pills Genomic scientists are currently identifying the genes that are involved in obesity. The hormone leptin was discovered in 1994, when scientists noticed that this hormone was absent in especially fat laboratory rats. Further research showed that certain obese children who also lacked leptin lost as much as 4 pounds a month when they were given this hormone. Subsequent trials with the leptin hormone have shown, however, that not all people lose weight when they receive this hormone. Scientists and drug companies are trying to find other chemicals in the body that are related to obesity.
Handout 1 for Students in Group D Case 4: Combating Heart Disease Doctors are currently using drugs called statins that stop the body from making too much cholesterol. These drugs do not work for everyone, however, so drug companies are trying to create a new cholesterol removing drug. Instead of stopping the body from making cholesterol in the cell, this drug will remove cholesterol from cells. The cholesterol would go first to the liver and then eventually leave the body. This new drug, taken with statins, would remove all harmful cholesterol from the body.

Appendix E: Handout 2 for Activity 3 Problem Name of the Drug/Treatment Effects of the Drug/Treatment
Answer Key for Activity 3 Problem Memorizing information Name of the Drug/Treatment Smart Pills (memory proteins) Effects of the Drug/Treatment
Accelerates the pace of

memorization
Improves the retention of

memorized information
Makes memorization of facts

almost instant
Parkinsons disease
Trophic compound
Helps the bodys cells grow and

develop faster
Allows the growth of new and

undamaged neurons in the brain
Acts like a bath covering both

healthy and damaged brain cells
Obesity
Leptin (hormone)
Helps control weight and weight

gain
Allows obese individuals to lose

weight more easily
Heart disease
Cholesterol extracting drug
Extracts harmful cholesterol from

the cells
Prevents cholesterol from

remaining in the heart or arteries Virtually eliminates harmful cholesterol from the body when taken with statins (a drug that stops the body from manufacturing excess cholesterol)

Appendix F: Sample Blackboard Layout for Cool Down Activity Diseases Ranking
1. AIDS 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. cancer mental illness obesity arthritis/other immune system diseases Alzheimers heart disease Parkinsons obesity
10. memory loss 11. ______________ (your choice) 12. ______________ (your choice)

Languages Life Sciences

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Languages Life Sciences

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

English Teaching Forum Language and Civil Society (a Forum Electronic Journal) Comments We want to hear from you!

Drugs of the Future

ABOUT THE OFFICE

Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs

FAQ sheet Regional English Language Officers Worldwide

OFFICE OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROGRAMS

English Teaching Forum Electronic Journals

English Teaching Forum Forum Electronic Journals

Publication Catalog Other Online Publications

Language and Civil Society

Language and Life Sciences

Civic Education Environmental Education Peace Education Business Ethics

Controversial Issues in Gene Research

Biotechnology OTHER RESOURCES and Crop Engineering

Drugs of the Future

Back to the top

Table of Contents Civic Education Volume

Chapter 1: Rights of the Individual

Chapter 2: Individual Freedoms: Freedom of Expression

Chapter 3: Individual Freedoms: Freedom of the Press

Chapter 4: Individual Responsibilities and Citizenship

Chapter 5: Responsibilities of the Government

Chapter 6: Rules and Laws

Chapter 7: Societal Dilemmas: Finding a Balance

Chapter 8: Societal Dilemmas: Gains and Losses

Chapter 9: Cultural Pluralism

Chapter 10: Building a Civil Society: Breaking Down Stereotypes

Table of Contents Environmental Education Volume

Chapter 1: Endangered Species

Chapter 2: Air Pollution

Chapter 3: Human Population

Chapter 4: Rain Forests

Chapter 5: Oceans and Coasts

Chapter 6: Climate Change

Chapter 7: Energy Conservation

Chapter 8: The Ozone Layer

Chapter 9: Recycling and Reusing

Table of Contents Peace Education Volume

Chapter 1: Defining Peace

Chapter 2: Analyzing Conflict

Chapter 3: Conflict Resolution

Chapter 4: Being Good Communicators: Listening Reflectively

Chapter 5: Speaking the Language of Peace

Chapter 6: Developing Cultural Understanding

Chapter 7: Cornerstones of Peace: Valuing Diversity and Practicing Tolerance

Chapter 8: Developing Empathy

Chapter 9: Expressions of Peace

Chapter 10: Promoting Peace through Action

Table of Contents Business Ethics Volume

Chapter 1: Principles of Business Ethics

Chapter 2: Ethics at Work - Leadership and Integrity

Chapter 3: Business Education Ethics and New Professionals

Chapter 4: Whistleblowing - Alerting Management to Unethical Practices

Chapter 5: Socially Responsible Business - Doing the Right Thing

Chapter 6: Mass Communications and Ethics - Television

Chapter 7: Intellectual Property: Yours, Mine, and Ours

Chapter 9: Quality Standards

Language & Life Sciences Home

Chapter 1 Mapping the Human Genome

by Donna M. Brinton, Christine Holten, and Jodi L. Nooyen

1990 1999 June 2000

Language & Life Sciences Home

Chapter 2 Controversial Issues in Gene Research