BioTech Science
The Bio Tech Science Module includes two kits for classroom exploration of deeper science principals: pGlo Bacterial Transformation and Forensic DNA Fingerprinting.
Genetic engineering is the process of manipulating the genetic material of an organism — often to include the DNA from a foreign organism. Using the pGLO Bacterial Transformation Kit, students transform bacteria by introducing a gene from the bioluminescent jellyfish Aequorea victoria. The same procedure has been used to create “designer proteins” which have led to the explosion of new health treatments, agricultural applications, and environmental solutions.
Using the Forensic DNA Fingerprinting Kit, students will learn that DNA evidence assists in criminal, missing persons, mass disaster, and paternity cases. It can be used to identify a perpetrator or exonerate the innocent. Using real DNA as evidence, your students play the role of crime scene investigator to figure out for themselves “Who done it?”
The six DNA samples in the Forensic DNA Fingerprinting Kit are plasmids engineered to mimic the natural variations in DNA that exist between one human being and another. One DNA sample has been collected from a “crime scene” and five samples have been obtained from various “suspects.” Each sample is digested using a mixture of two DNA restriction enzymes, which generates a distinct set of DNA fragments for each sample. The resulting DNA fragments are separated by agarose gel electrophoresis and visualized using Bio-Rad’s revolutionary Fast Blast™ DNA stain.
Teachers can connect a range of traditional biological concepts in an exciting new way and students are hooked from start to finish.
BioTech Resources:
