The Search for Humanity's Roots

Image of Dr. Alemseged with Selam- 3.3 million year old child.
Image taken from "Orginalpeople.org"

Watch Dr. Zeresenay Alemseged's TED talk about the search for the earliest humans.

As you watch, write down 3 MAIN IDEAS, and 3 QUESTIONS.

Questions might start out
"I wonder...." "How did they...." "Why did/is..." 

IF YOU LIKE THIS TALK, ASK Ms. ALLERS ABOUT TOMORROW'S Guest Speaker, 4/14.  Or send an email to Ms. Kemper today.

Dr. Alemseged's bio

Punnett Square Calculator & other Punnett things

VERY GOOD INTRO TO PUNNETT SQUARES

SOME PRACTICE PROBLEMS

More practice Problems

Complete Dominance Punnett Squares: phenotype/genotype animations

Punnett Square Calculator

VIDEO resources

Gender

• http://www.who.int/genomics/gender/en/index1.html
• http://www.apa.org/monitor/apr04/gender.aspx
• http://www.embryology.ch/anglais/ugenital/molec01.html

Sexuality

• http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2014/11/study-gay-brothers-may-confirm-x-chromosome-link-homosexuality
• http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2015/10/homosexuality-may-be-caused-chemical-modifications-dna
• https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/cross-cultural-evidence-for-the-genetics-of-homosexuality/
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4545255/
• http://www.bionews.org.uk/page_396841.asp

Autism

• Autism and Genes (The Tech)
• 18 Genes and Autism (NBC News)
• Science Daily: Autism

Race

• Science Daily: Race and genetics
• Science Daily: Race does not exist
• Huffpost: What scientists mean when they say race isn't genetic
• Science Mag: Taking Race out of genetics
• Nature: Genetic variation and "race"
• Harvard: Race in a genetic world

Other topics:

Anxiety/Depression

• IFL Science: 7 Anxiety genes
• Live Science: Anxiety in Adolescents

Bipolar

• http://www.livescience.com/54111-anxiety-risk-linked-to-gene.html
• Medical Genetics: Bipolar
• Science Daily: Bipolar

Video Project Day 1 Survey

Exit Ticket

Race: there is no biological definition

Humanae: skin tones matched to Pantone color chart- work by Angelique Dass.
photographed over 2,500 humans....
and believes she'll never exhaust the number of tones that exist in humanity.

We watched this excerpt from a Documentary called "Race the Power of an Illusion."

and then read: There is no such thing as race.
underlining the arguments the Author makes to back up the statement: there is no biological construct of race.

'Racial categories'

ONLINE ACTIVITY: sorting people:
In class, we have discussed that there is NO trait or traits that are UNIQUE to any one race- 

yes, there is a *higher* probability you will be lactose intolerant if you are Asian descent, 

but 

are all Asians lactose intolerant? no.  

Are all people who are lactose intolerant Asian? no. 

All attempts to find a biological distinction between different racial groups has failed.  Moreover, it is critical that we continue to question the motives and assumptions for that endeavor. 

This online activity offers examples of how we perceive race vs. peoples' actual ethnic background. 

MORE from "Race the Power of an illusion" here.

Lies my teacher told me- genetics edition

from John Macdonald, University of Delaware.

Inventory of Traits SURVEY

Traits Slide Show

SURVEY

Introduction Genetics

Kendrick Lamar
DNA (cleaned version)

What is in our DNA?
What is shaped by environment? What is not? Does our DNA code for who we are? How does it not?




Human genetic diversity is complex- most traits show a wide range across the human population with multiple genes controlling a particular trait.  What can genetics and DNA help us understand  about our interconnectedness and turbulent history as a human species?
How has genetics been used by those in power to justify and maintain social injustices?
How can it be used to help us expose and take apart racist, sexist, homophobic and ableist social structures?

Proteins!

Protein folding video

Some proteins in the human body

Cancer, Alzheimer's and Protein Origami: David Pincus, TEDxBeaconStreet 
a TED Talk tying it all together: Cancer, cell cycle, protein folding...