DNA History Lesson

Unit 3
4.1.2, 3.1

Walkertown High School

Case Study: Malformed Frogs

The malformation and decline of amphibians has been widely discussed since the 1990’s, when hotspots of malformations in the United States were first brought to national attention.

Scientific studies since then have linked the malformations and decline of frog populations to a number of factors, the combination of which may cause the trends seen in frog populations.

Thought Questions…

1. How did scientists determine the structure of

DNA?

2. How does the information in DNA get transferred into observable traits?

3. How is the flow of information from DNA regulated?

The Function of DNA

• Traits: distinguishing characteristics (ex: hair color) that are passed from one generation to the next

• DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid): molecule that stores the genetic information for all organisms

• Heritable: which means it can be passed from parent to offspring.

• DNA works with other molecules, like enzymes and RNA, to create proteins.

• Genetics is the study of biological inheritance patterns and variation in

What do you think…?

Kinesin is a motor protein that transports organelles and proteins around a cell. The structure of kinesin is crucial for its function.

What might happen to the structure of kinesin if the DNA code was damaged?

DNAi Timeline Activity

DNAi History
Timeline

Complete activity in Canvas

Use this link to access the website

History of DNA: Key Players

- Friedrich Miescher

- Discovered DNA (1869)

- Erwin Chargaff

- Nucleotide ratios (1950)

- Rosalind Franklin

- X-ray diffraction of DNA

(1952)

History of DNA: Key Players

- Martha Chase & Alfred Hershey

- Genetic information was in

DNA, not proteins (1952)

- James Watson & Francis Crick

- Modeled DNA (1953)