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March 2003 How do animal experts keep a breeding population healthy? Genetic traits (such as eye color, skin pigmentation, or a tendency toward a disease) can be traced to parental genotypes. In the March LAND, SEA & AIR MAIL we’ll discover the tools scientists use to predict the genetic make-up of offspring.

Genetics can be a difficult subject to handle, but these activities for 4 to 8 graders and high school students are interactive and fun. Younger students create punnett squares and match gel electrophoresis strips. High schoolers work with dihybrid crosses and create a transcription flip-book.

SeaWorld and Busch Gardens have selected this year’s winners of the Environmental Excellence Awards. Look to April’s issue for highlights on these outstanding schools.

 

See how dedicated SeaWorld Bird Department experts help rescue and rehabilitate California brown pelicans afflicted with avian botulism.

 

Julie's Journal
Julie explains the hard work and dedication required to train animals as stars on "The Tonight Show."

Conservation Partners: Conservation Fund
Since 1985, the Fund and its partners, dedicated to tangible, on-the-ground results, have protected more than 3.4 million acres of our nation’s outdoor heritage--our wildlife habitat and watersheds, working landscapes and community open-space. Find out their latest work on their publications page.

 

Fifty years ago, Drs. James Watson and Francis Crick illustrated the double-helix structure of DNA. (CBC news article) Following this incredible discovery, the science of genetics expanded into new fields such as genetic engineering and Learn more about genetics from these Web sites:

The Genetics Education Partnership in Washington state has put together many activities, from elementary to high school.

The Genetic Science Learning Center at the University of Utah has interactive activities online. View this page for the index.

The June 2002 issue of the NSTA monthly electronic newsletter Science Class discusses Genetics. Issues includes background information, resources, and activities.

PBS has a fun activity called “Why should we clone a woolly mammoth?” Check it out on their Web page. Other activities are nearby.

If you have a a basic knowledge of Mendelian genetics and probability, try these activities developed by Jamie Handy, a former assistant teacher at Brigham Young University.

Carolina Biological Supply has Biotechnology and Genetics classroom activities for sale. You can order online or from their free catalog.

 

Scientists have been studying the cause of genetic mutations in humans (like lung cancer and other diseases) for decades. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services publishes a report on known carcinogens; their latest lists 228 substances. Some we are aware of (tobacco, alcohol, excessive sunlight UV radiation), others we use everyday without concern (certain plastics, resin coatings,). Here are some tips you can follow to help reduce your exposure to possible cancer causing agents:

COMING NEXT MONTH What is the fastest animal on Earth? A cheetah? No it’s a bird… a rather small one called a peregrine falcon. When diving through the sky, this bird can reach speeds of more than 300 km/h (186 m/hr.). Learn more about these fascinating raptors (eagles, owls, falcons, hawks and ospreys) in the March LAND, SEA & AIR MAIL.

SeaWorld/Busch Gardens Animal Information Database
www.seaworld.org / www.buschgardens.org

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