MS-LS3-1

Develop and use a model to describe why structural changes to genes (mutations) located on chromosomes may affect proteins and may result in harmful, beneficial, or neutral effects to the structure and function of the organism.

  1. Health & Medicine

    Drug-resistant germs kill some 35,000 Americans each year

    The new mortality rate may be way low, some experts say. Also troubling are two new germs that have emerged as big and urgent threats.

    By Aimee Cunningham
  2. Genetics

    Explainer: How DNA testing works

    Lots of companies will now test DNA from people and their pets. How do these gene-sequencing techniques work? We explain.

    By Tina Hesman Saey and Bethany Brookshire
  3. Genetics

    Explainer: Why scientists sometimes ‘knock out’ genes

    How do we learn what a particular molecule does in the body? To find out, scientists often 'knock out' the gene that makes it. Here’s how.

    By Bethany Brookshire
  4. Genetics

    Explainer: How CRISPR works

    Scientists are using a tool called CRISPR to edit DNA in all types of cells.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  5. Genetics

    Scientists Say: Chromosome

    This threadlike structure is made of DNA wrapped around protein. It allows the 3 billion base pairs in human DNA to stay neatly packaged in a cell.

    By Bethany Brookshire
  6. Microbes

    Tweaked germs glow to pinpoint buried landmines

    Finding landmines could become much safer with a new technology. It uses genetically modified bacteria that glow under laser light.

    By Dinsa Sachan
  7. Health & Medicine

    Analyze This: Zika and microcephaly

    Data from pregnant women with Zika in Colombia helped scientists probe whether Zika causes birth defects.

    By Lillian Steenblik Hwang
  8. Science & Society

    Fossils point to Neandertal diets — and medicine use

    Whether Neandertals were largely meat-eaters or vegans depended on their environment, fossils now suggest. Their teeth also indicate they used natural medicines.

    By Helen Thompson
  9. Genetics

    How to make a ‘three-parent’ baby

    Scientists combined an egg, sperm and some donor DNA: The end result: what appears to be healthy babies.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  10. Genetics

    Explainer: How PCR works

    The polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, is like a DNA-copying machine. It duplicates genetic material over and over. Here’s how.

    By Kathiann Kowalski
  11. Genetics

    Scientists find genes that make some kids’ hair uncombable

    Scientists have pinpointed three genes that cause ‘uncombable hair syndrome’ in some kids.

    By Dinsa Sachan
  12. Agriculture

    World’s tallest corn towers nearly 14 meters

    Short nights and a genetic tweak helped novel corn reach record heights.

    By Ashley Yeager