SCIENTIFIC ENTERPRISE PT 2

B.3 DNA and Mutations HW Worksheet

Part I DNA Basics. Watch the following videos and answer the related questions.

 “What Are DNA and Genes?” (http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/basics/dna)

1. How would you explain the structure of DNA?

2. The building blocks of DNA are represented by what 4 letters? How do they pair up? (Draw arrows to show pairings)

3. These building blocks function together in larger units called , which are instructions for building                        .

“What Is Mutation?” (http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/basics/mutation/)

4. How are mutations made in DNA replication? How does the cell repair it?

5. What happens if mutations occur in DNA that is passed down via the egg or sperm?

6. A complete set of genes is called a , which is a set of instructions for building an                                                 .
7. Mutations can be compared to , as they occur most commonly when a single                       is substituted for another, deleted, or added.
8. Each of us has about  new genetic variations that were not present in our parents.
9. Are there times when mutations are not considered problematic? What are the two ways that mutations effect the genome?

Part II. Applications of DNA Knowledge

Read the Language of Godpages 102 (top of page)-124(top of page), sections from chapters 4 “Life on Earth” and 5“Deciphering God’s Instruction Book” and Science Matters pp273-286. answer the following questions:

1. What are nucleotides? How do DNA and RNA differ?

2.What type of bond holds the DNA together and is in part responsible for its helical shape?

3. What is messenger RNA and what is its role? Transfer RNA?

4. In graduate school, Francis Collins worked on sequencing the DNA that coded for

______________. What is the role of this protein? What did he discover?

5. What is so-called “junk DNA”?

6. What was so challenging about finding the DNA mutation that coded for Cystic Fibrosis?

7. Why did Francis Collin’s group decide not to patent any discoveries of the human genome? How did that goal become threatened and what was the outcome?

6. How does Francis Collins see God in the code of life?