Cell Biol Educ 2(2): 82-84 2003
DOI: 10.1187/cbe.03-03-0012
© 2003 American Society for Cell Biology
WWW.Cell Biology Education
Robert Blystone
Department of Biology, Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas 78212
Submitted March 10, 2003;
Accepted March 28, 2003
Cell Biology Education calls attention each quarter to several Web
sites of educational interest to the biology community. The journal does not
endorse or guarantee the accuracy of the information at any of the listed
sites. If you want to comment on the selections or suggest future inclusions,
please send a message to
rblyston{at}trinity.edu.
The sites listed below were last accessed on March 10, 2003.
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DOLAN DNA LEARNING CENTER
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http://www.dnalc.org
The DNA Learning Center is clearly a place where one can learn about DNA.
There is material here that can instruct virtually anyone. To quote from the
Center's Mission Statement: "The Dolan DNA Learning Center (DNALC) is
the world's first science center devoted entirely to public genetics education
and is an operating unit of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, an important center
for molecular genetics research." The annual budget in support of the
DNALC is nearly $1 million and the money is well spent. Be prepared to learn
and enjoy a wealth of genetics information.
The opening page provides the viewer six major choices to navigate the site
(see Figure 1.) The
"resources" path leads to seven very high-quality learning tools.
The best known of these is "DNA from the Beginning." This resource
is organized around 41 concepts equally divided among classical genetics,
molecular genetics, and genetic organization and control. Each concept is
supported by an animation, an interview with a key scientist associated with
the concept, and links to expand the information base. A problem section poses
brief questions about the concept. The concepts explored a range of concepts
from a gene is on a chromosome to the structure of a chromosome.
Another superb resource is "Your Genes, Your Health." Fifteen
genetic disorders are described in detail. Each disorder has something of
interest, especially interviews with people who have the disorder. Too often
genetic disorders are abstractions until you know someone with the disorder.
The interviews put a face on the disorders, ranging from Marfan's syndrome to
beta-thalassemia.
The "Biology Animation Library" resource contains six very
useful animations, ranging from the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to DNA
Detective. Given the recent popularity of television forensics, users of the
DNA Detective have a chance to identify criminals through DNA matching (see
Figure 2.) Another resource is
BioServers, which allows one to work with bioinformatics tools. BioServers
will take a little time to learn but it provides a wonderful path into the
bioinformatics realm.
The "products" path gives details of six low-cost products
meant for classroom use. The CD version of "DNA from the
Beginning" can be ordered with information found here. The
"Genetic Computer Arcade" containing DNA Detective is another CD
that may be of interest to student and teacher alike.
The "features" section has 59 news-like features that provide
paths into the DNALC site. One of the features provides an interview with
James Watson, who describes his role in the discovery of the structure of DNA.
With this being the fiftieth anniversary year of the publication of the Watson
and Crick article, the interview is extremely timely. The Features range from
a discussion of eugenics to the actor Alan Alda describing his genes on
The Gene Hunter, a television special on human genes.
The site has numerous resources for education. The quality is extremely
high and the information is wonderful. Both high school and college
instructors can find topics that would be useful in the class.
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TALKING GLOSSARY OF GENETIC TERMS
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http://www.genome.gov/page.cfm?pageID=10002096
The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) maintains an
educational resources Web site. One of those resources is a talking glossary
(Figure 3). To quote from the
site, "The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) created the
Talking Glossary of Genetic Terms to help people without scientific
backgrounds understand the terms and concepts used in genetic research. Simply
click on the term of interest to open a page with a wealth of information,
including the term's pronunciation, audio information, images and additional
links to related terms. Students, teachers and parents will find the glossary
an easy-to-use, always available learning source on genetics." In 30-s
to 2-min recitations, over 100 common genetic terms and concepts are described
by an expert in the field. Using RealAudio Player (available at
http://www.real.com/?PV=0),
25 research scientists describe terms such as diabetes, sickle cell anemia,
and cDNA library. Even the Director of the Human Genome project, Dr. Francis
Collins, provides some of the verbalizations. Students should find this
resource useful as they can both see and hear research scientists describe in
their own words the basic terms of genetics.
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GRAPHICS GALLERY
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http://www.accessexcellence.org/AB/GG/
Access Excellence (see Figure
4) was started 10 years ago as a web resource for teachers. The
National Health Museum based in Washington, DC, has taken over the reigns of
Access Excellence from Genentech, Inc., who originally started the site. The
Graphics Gallery has as many visual images of molecular biology as the Talking
Glossary has genetic terms. The Graphics Gallery is divided into seven
sections including viruses, genetics, and biological engineering. If you are
an instructor looking for an image to demonstrate a process or concept in
molecular biology and genetics, this Web site is an excellent source of image
information. Many of the illustrations are in color and can be downloaded as
Adobe Acrobat PDF files (go to
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readermain.html
for a free file reader). If used only for the classroom, the image files are
free to teachers. You may wish to explore aspects of the Web site other than
the image gallery (for the main site go to
http://www.accessexcellence.org).
Corresponding author. E-mail address:
rblyston{at}trinity.edu.
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DOLAN DNA LEARNING CENTER
TALKING GLOSSARY OF GENETIC...
