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HHMI BioInteractive Population Genetics Explorer

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HHMI BioInteractive Population Genetics Explorer

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A great tool that allows students to examine the effects of selection, genetic drift, mutation, migration and random mating on allele and genotype frequencies.

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This online tool simulates how allele and genotype frequencies respond to natural selection, genetic drift (including population bottlenecks), mutation, migration, inbreeding, and assortative mating.

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An online text that can be used in AP Biology courses--it is on the College Board approved list of textbooks. It's free if used online.

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A resource from The New York Times that can be used to teach students about data literacy. Great for having students practice data interpretation and argumentation.

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Graphs, maps and charts from The Times — and an invitation to students to discuss them live.

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This is another great membrane transport simulator that can be used to show students how particle size and temperature can influence molecular motion across the membrane.

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Excellent visualization of diffusion here--this helps students better see how various small molecules traverse the cell membrane.

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Cell Membrane: Just Passing Through | PBS LearningMedia

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At any one time, a dozen different types of materials may be passing through the membrane of a cell. The job of the membrane is to regulate this movement in order to maintain the proper balance of ions, water, oxygen, carbon dioxide, nutrients, and other molecules.

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Chi Klein's lesson on teaching DNA replication--great interactive activity here

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by Chi Klein Anatomy & Physiology, Connexions Web site. http://cnx.org/content/col11496/1.6/, Jun 19, 2013 from OpenStax College, under Creative Commons via Wikimedia Commons
In our conversations…

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Learn about the varied effects of ligand molecules on the responses of various cell types.

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Home

Cells

Dropping Signals

APA format:

Genetic Science Learning Center. (2020, July 31) Dropping Signals. Retrieved July 11, 2022, from https://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/cells/signals

CSE format:

Dropping Signals [Internet]. Salt Lake City (UT): Genetic Science Learning Center; 2020 [cited 2022 Jul 11] Available from https://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/cells/signals

Chicago format:

Genetic Science Learning Center. "Dropping Signals." Learn.Genetics. July 31, 2020. Accessed July 11, 2022. https://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/cells/signals.

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A photoreceptor is aspecialized cell typefound in the retina ofthe eye.

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Science Education Research Center at Carleton College

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Science Education Research Center at Carleton College

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Lots of great resources for teaching all types of science courses here.

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Search All SERC-hosted projects...

...or choose a starting point

Engaging teaching activities
Effective pedagogy
Transformative workshops

Whether you're an undergraduate faculty member or a K-12 science teacher our suite of partner projects has materials you can use today. Connect with a community of peers as they share what really works in their classrooms.

Featured Site

This report comprises a set of essays created during a two-and-a-half day writing workshop held in April 2012 at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. The goal was to develop a retrospective review that captured the nuanced outcomes and impacts of the National Science Digital Library (NSDL).

Happening Now

News

NSF GRANTED project for the Colleges of Liberal Arts Sponsor Programs (CLASP) community

New grant work begins with the Colleges of Liberal Arts Sponsored Programs (CLASP) community, funded by the NSF GRANTED program and led by Carleton College.

Exciting changes coming to the Earth Educators' Rendezvous

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Earth Educators' Rendezvous (EER), and time for us to reflect on what we've learned over the past ten years about running a conference and the evolving needs of the geoscience education community. Based on what we've learned, NAGT is adapting our approach. Starting in 2024, the EER will move to an every-other-year schedule. We will host the 2024 EER in Philadelphia as planned, and then the next EER will be in 2026 and every other year thereafter. The extended timeline gives us the opportunity to host a high-quality meeting that also makes best use of the financial resources, dedicated staff, and generous volunteers that make the meeting run. In addition, we are excited to move to this model in which we have more time to coordinate and develop synergies between EER and all of NAGT's other professional development programming. We look forward to seeing your ideas and proposals for the 2024 Earth Educators' Rendezvous in Philadelphia, and we'll let you know more about EER 2026 soon!

Cathy Manduca Receives Friend of the Planet Award from the National Center for Science Education

Cathy Manduca, founding director of SERC, was named a 2023 winner of the National Center for Science Education's Friend of the Planet award.

New IGUaNA Teaching Module on Gravity and Magnetics

A new teaching module from IGUaNA is available online. This 3-unit geophysics module introduces students to the fundamentals of exploring the subsurface with gravity and magnetism.

SERC Welcomes New Science Education Associate, Rory McFadden

We are excited to announce Rory McFadden will be joining SERC this June as a new Science Education Associate.

RSS See All SERC News

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Search All SERC-hosted projects... SERC SERC Go SERC ...or choose a starting point Engaging teaching activities Effective pedagogy Transformative workshops Whether you're an undergraduate faculty member or a ...

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Great resources for teaching patterns of inheritance, pedigrees, and genomics.

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Genomics at an Organism Level

To understand how characteristics of living things are passed from generation to generation, a family tree, or pedigree is often used to illustrate the movement of the characteristic through each generation. The pedigree may involve single gene inheritance or the inheritance of multifactorial traits (multiple gene and environment interaction).

Understanding a Pedigree (Family Tree) Design

A pedigree is a tool used to describe the relationships within a family; they use lines, symbols, and shading to indicate family relationships and persons with a specific trait or condition. The table above displays the different components of a pedigree.

There are many modes of inheritance for single genes, and each mode of inheritance follows a specific pedigree pattern. Below are links to example pedigrees with different modes of inheritance for single gene traits. Each of these pedigrees is designed to show the patterns for the corresponding inheritance pattern and may not be typical for rare single gene conditions. However, each page also has some real examples of human traits that typically follow this mode of inheritance. Some also include realistic pedigrees for specific conditions.

Multifactorial Traits: Using the Pedigree as a Tool to Collect a Family History of Common Chronic Disorders

Unlike single gene disorders that are very rare, common chronic disorders such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes may, either directly or indirectly, impact all of our lives. These conditions have been found to run in families, and scientists now know that the appearance of these disorders is influenced by our genetics, environment, and behavior.

Collecting family history with a pedigree for these chronic disorders is the first step toward prevention. Sometimes, assigning genotypes for family members at risk for multiple chronic disorders is not easy. That is because many common chronic conditions are not controlled by single genes but are multifactorial, meaning they are influenced by multiple genes and the environment. Most of our traits fall into this category. They are traits that vary slightly from individual to individual, such as height and hair color as well as common chronic conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

Genetic Variation:

DNA is only as powerful as the proteins it produces. Proteins are products of gene expression that create our phenotype (traits and characteristics). Some genes work alone producing a protein that results in a phenotype for a single gene trait. Other genes work together along with the environment to create a phenotype for multifactorial conditions. In this situation, a certain combination of proteins ( gene products) cause one phenotype while a different combination of proteins from the same genes can cause a different phenotype, resulting in genetic variation or a trait that varies slightly from individual to individual. Genes also have the ability to produce different proteins for a given trait. Each gene has multiple alleles or variations in the DNA sequence at the gene locus, which can result in variants (mutations) for that gene.

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To understand how characteristics of living things are passed from generation to generation, a family tree, or pedigree is often used to illustrate the movement of the characteristic through each generation. The pedigree may involve single gene inheritance or the inheritance of multifactorial traits (multiple gene and environment interaction).

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These reviews were conducted by me and several other teachers from across the country in the spring of 2020. Great way to review a TON of content in a short amount of time.

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Live AP Biology review sessions - 2020 exam

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National review sessions led by AP Biology teachers. These review sessions are not affiliated with College Board.

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It would be silly if I didn't list my own website here. Lots of FREE curriculum resources for AP Bio teachers here, some that I have created, some that I have adapted from others.

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Image credit: Marissa Xiong @superanonymouscarrots

Dedicated to helping fellow

biology educators learn more

about the art of teaching science.

Find resources for teaching AP or IB Biology here.

Learn more about interactive notebooks and find resources for getting started with this learning tool here.

Join a growing group of AP Biology professionals in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Learn more about this group here.

Countdown to 2022 AP Biology Exam:

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Image credit: Marissa Xiong @superanonymouscarrots Dedicated to helping fellow biology educators learn more about the art of teaching science. Find resources for teaching AP or IB Biology here. Learn more about interactive notebooks and find resources for getting started with this learning tool here.

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Fantastic tool for working with data sets...best part: it's FREE.

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Data Explorer | This web tool provides a quick and easy way of visualizing and analyzing data without advanced technological requirements. With Data Explorer, students can easily create a variety of plots to visualize data. They can also quickly generate statistical summaries and perform hypothesis testing with a variety of tests.

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Great resources for differentiating instruction for all learners.

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Great online ecosystem building simulator!

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Some really outstanding lab simulations here!

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A free online platform for science education from Harvard University

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This is Bob Sheehy's (Radford U) Hardy-Weinberg simulator, retooled without Flash!

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Web PopGen II

Note: Inbreeding has been disabled while a program bug is identified.
© 2006-2020 by Bob Sheehy
Radford University
Radford, Virginia
Last Update: July 4th 2020

Please report any bugs to Bob Sheehy. If possible please include the settings at the time the bug occurred, browser type (e.g., Chrome, Firefox), and your OS. Screen shots are particularly helpful.

Thanks!

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Note: Inbreeding has been disabled while a program bug is identified. © 2006-2020 by Bob Sheehy Radford University Radford, Virginia Last Update: July 4th 2020 Please report any bugs to Bob Sheehy. If possible please include the settings at the time the bug occurred, browser type (e.g., Chrome, Firefox), and your OS.

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The folks at Bio-Rad have put together a bank of editable presentations that you can use with their lab kits.

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At Bio-Rad, our mission is to support life science education by providing educators the tools they need to offer thorough, current, and engaging experiences for their students. To support your efforts, we have compiled a number of resources and materials that can stand alone or enrich your lessons.

Need help adapting kits for use in socially-distanced classrooms or at-home learning? Download our Solutions for Socially-Distanced Classrooms. This list will be updated frequently, so please check back.

COVID-19 Teaching Resources

Your students may have questions about COVID-19, from its biology to how it spreads and how it is detected and treated. This presents a rich opportunity to teach key concepts in biology through the lens of an ongoing real-world context. The relevance of biology to students' lives has never been so clear!

COVID-19 Teaching Resources
Access Bio-Rad's hands-on activities, lesson plans, and free resources to help teach the biology and detection of the SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

pGLO Bacterial Transformation

Presentations

Editable files that you can customize as needed.

Case Studies

Student-facing extensions that are also useful for AP exam prep.

CRISPR Gene Editing

Student Activities

Have your students use this CRISPR paper model activity at home to learn about the CRISPR-Cas9 system.

Students can use this activity to design Cas9 target sites in the human genome and determine risk for off-target effect.

Other Resources

ELISA

Student Activities

ELISA Paper Model Activity

Your students can use this paper model activity alongside the videos or animations to get a solid grasp of the components of an ELISA and how they work together in antibody/antigen detection.

Presentations

Editable files that you can customize as needed.

Videos & Animations

PCR & Real-Time PCR

PCR

Real-Time PCR

An editable presentation that explains how real-time PCR works and how it can be used for quantitative purposes.

An editable presentation that explains how real-time PCR works and several of its real-life applications.

Photosynthesis & Cellular Respiration

Presentations

Editable files that you can customize as needed.

Case Studies

Student-facing extensions that are also useful for AP exam prep.

Useful for AP Biology and AP Environmental Science exam preparation, this activity challenges your students to think through the biological causes and economic and ecological impacts of algae blooms and the Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico.

Videos

Incorporate these short, instructional videos into your lessons about photosynthesis, cellular respiration, pigments, and Beer's Law.

Show your students the results they would see with algae beads and pH indicator solution.

Additional Resources

Coloring Pages

FREE Posters for Your Classroom

Decorate your classroom and teaching labs with these colorful posters. Click "Add to Cart" and log in to order a free print.

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At Bio-Rad, our mission is to support life science education by providing educators the tools they need to offer thorough, current, and engaging experiences for their students. To support your efforts, we have compiled a number of resources and materials that can stand alone or enrich your lessons.

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Use this site to create diagrams of lab set-ups. Can be used by students designing independent investigations, or for pre-lab work.

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Chemix is a free online editor for drawing lab diagrams. Simple and intuitive, it is designed for students and pupils to help them draw diagrams of common laboratory equipment and lab setup of science experiments.

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AP Biology LiveStream FRQ Strategies Review

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AP Biology LiveStream FRQ Strategies Review

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I present some strategies for answering free response questions. These are specific to the 2020 exam but in the future I'll do videos for the other question types (2, 3, 5, 6).

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AP Biology LiveStream Review:  FRQ Strategies

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Teach students about the influence that environment has on gene expression with the information here. The animation has been retired since it was Flash, but I'm told the team at GSLC plans to bring it back (pending funding availability).

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Where is Lick Your Rats?
Our Lick Your Rats interactive was built using Adobe Flash which is no longer supported in modern web browsers. We are actively converting our old Flash pieces into new formats that will be supported long into the future. We hope to have Lick Your Rats back online in the near future.

Some mother rats spend a lot of time licking, grooming, and nursing their pups. Others seem to ignore their pups. Highly nurtured rat pups tend to grow up to be calm adults, while rat pups who receive little nurturing tend to grow up to be anxious.

It turns out that the difference between a calm and an anxious rat is not genetic, —it's epigenetic. The nurturing behavior of a mother rat during the first week of life shapes her pups' epigenomes. And the epigenetic pattern that mom establishes tends to stay put, even after the pups become adults.

Anxious Behavior Can Be an Advantage

In our society, we think of anxious behavior as being a disadvantage. But that's because, for the most part, we live in a nutrient-rich, low-danger environment. In the rat equivalent to our world, the relaxed rat lives a comfortable life. It is likely to reach a high social standing, and it doesn't have to worry about where its next meal is coming from. An anxious rat, on the other hand, doesn't do so well. It is more likely to have a low social standing and suffer from diabetes and heart disease.

In another environment, however, the tables turn. The anxious, guarded behavior of the low-nurtured rat is an advantage in an environment where food is scarce and danger is high. The low nurtured rat is more likely to keep a low profile and respond quickly to stress. In the same environment, a relaxed rat might be a little too relaxed. It may be more likely to let down its guard and be eaten by a predator.

A Different Kind of Inheritance

We're used to thinking of inheritance in terms of the letters of the DNA code that pass to us from our parents -- through eggs and sperm. But the rat-licking story tells us that there is another path to the offspring's DNA. Through her licking behavior, a mother rat can write information onto her pups' DNA in a way that completely bypasses eggs and sperm. In a sense, her nurturing behavior tells her pups something about the world they will grow up in. Mom's behavior actually programs the pups' DNA in a way that will make them more likely to succeed.

The epigenetic code gives the genome a level of flexibility that extends beyond the relatively fixed DNA code. The epigenetic code allows certain types of information to be passed to offspring without having to go through the slow processes of random mutation and natural selection. At the same time, the epigenetic code is sensitive to changing environmental conditions such as availability of food or threat from predators.

High-nurturing mothers raise high-nurturing offspring, and low-nurturing mothers raise low-nurturing offspring. This may look like a genetic pattern, but it's not. Whether a pup grows up to be anxious or relaxed depends on the mother that raises it - not the mother that gives birth to it.

Epigenetic Patterns Are Reversible

Gene expression patterns that are set up early in life are not necessarily stuck that way forever. You can take a low-nurtured rat, inject its brain with a drug that removes methyl groups, and make it act just like a high-nurtured rat. The GR gene gets turned on, cells make more GR protein, and the rat takes on a more relaxed personality. It works in the other direction too. You can take a relaxed, high-nurtured rat, inject its brain with methionine (a source of methyl) and make it more anxious. Of course drugs affect many genes, so they're not an exact substitute for maternal care. But it turns out that you can also turn an anxious rat into a more relaxed rat by spicing up its living quarters. So take heart -- your epigenetic destiny is not written in permanent ink.

Dr. Moshe Szyf , Professor of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at McGill University, talks about high and low nurturing rats.

In a 2004 article, researchers at McGill University gave us some of the first clues about how social interactions help to shape the epigenome.

The study showed that there are epigenetic differences between high- and low-nurtured rats.

Most of the content on this page is based on the McGill study (see Weaver et al in the References section below).

The Glucocorticoid Receptor (GR) Helps Shut Down the Stress Response

When we're confronted with danger, the body turns on stress circuitry in the brain. Stress circuitry activates the adrenaline-driven Fight or Flight response and causes the hormone cortisol to be released into the bloodstream. Cortisol is important for freeing stored energy, which helps with both fighting and fleeing. But too much cortisol can be a bad thing. High levels can lead to heart disease, depression, and increased susceptibility to infection.

Cortisol also travels to an area of the brain called the hippocampus, where it binds to GRs. When enough cortisol is bound, the hippocampus sends out signals that turn off the stress circuit, shutting down both the Fight or Flight response and cortisol production.

Rats (and people) with higher levels of GR are better at detecting cortisol, and they recover from stress more quickly.

The Stress Circuit -- also called the HPA Axis (for Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal).

Stress signals travel from the hypothalamus to the pituitary gland and then to the adrenal glands. The adrenal glands release the hormone cortisol (and adrenaline, not shown).

When cells in the hippocampus detect cortisol, which binds to the GR receptor, they send a signal to the hypothalamus that shuts down the stress circuit.

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Where is Lick Your Rats? Our Lick Your Rats interactive was built using Adobe Flash which is no longer supported in modern web browsers. We are actively converting our old Flash pieces into new formats that will be supported long into the future. We hope to have Lick Your Rats back online in the near future.

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Harlem DNA Lab Center Virtual Bacterial Transformation Lab

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Harlem DNA Lab Center Virtual Bacterial Transformation Lab

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Can't do a pGLO lab with students? Use this as a supplement or a substitute. Note: uses Flash.

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Chubbyemu Medical Case Study Videos Playlist

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Chubbyemu Medical Case Study Videos Playlist

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A professor of medicine walks through case studies found in the medical literature in short videos that explain the biology, biochemistry and physiology behind the ailments described. Personal favorites: the farmer who cut out his own cancer, the woman who drank 3 gallons of water in 2 hours.

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Most of these are variations, if not the full story, of cases I've seen or was involved with in the past. "_ _ is a (age) year old (human identifier)" is the...

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Kurzgesagt - In a Nutshell Medicine and Biology Playlist

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Kurzgesagt - In a Nutshell Medicine and Biology Playlist

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Some really great concise video explanations about complex biological concepts.

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Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

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This site has some great online simulations that allow students to explore some key concepts in biology, including natural selection, biodiversity, energy exchanges and inheritance of traits.

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Biology Simulations helps students learn about biology and practice data analysis skills. These simulations allow students to experiment with concepts that may take too much time or too many resources to complete in a traditional science lab setting. While simulations cannot replace real-world experiences, they are a useful tool in both scientific research and education.

For information about the technical aspects of the simulations and the target audience, see the page. For additional information about the simulations and updates on what's new to the site, see the

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Biology simulations help students learn about biology and practice data analysis skills.

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This online simulator shows students how population growth equations are derived. I use this to teach my AP students how both the logistic and exponential formulas are derived.

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The capacity for growth is a measure of the success of a population of a species. Because there are so many interactions between individuals and the environment, measuring how well populations grow is often complex. Population biologists frequently use mathematical growth models to help them study real populations.

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Great app that allows students to manipulate data and create visual representations of data sets. The free version isn't as robust as the paid version but is still great.

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Get DataClassroom

DataClassroom is available with a free trial (no card required) so you can see what it can do for you and your students.

Individual, Teacher and School licenses available.

There are three ways to get Professional Development with DataClassroom

Free Online Workshops

Twice a month, we host - usually together with guest teachers - online workshops focusing on practical ways to working with DataClassroom in everyday teaching.

Online Demos

Book an online demo with any of the teachers and scientists at DataClassroom. We are happy to show you what you can do with DataClassroom and how to get started.

Onsite or Remote Pro Dev

Tailored to the needs of your school or district! Learn to use DataClassroom to meet the data skills demands of the Next Generation Science Standards, or state specific standards.

Data skills are key to solving the biggest problems of tomorrow. DataClassroom exists to help students understand both those problems and how to unlock their solutions.

As data becomes an increasingly valuable resource across all fields, the teaching of data skills is becoming increasingly important for middle and high school classrooms. At the same time, as educators, we recognize that the best part of a science education will always be hands-on labs and authentic experimentation. DataClassroom provides teachers the opportunity to integrate next generation data-skills seamlessly with the learning experiences they are already creating.

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DataClassroom is available with a free trial (no card required) so you can see what it can do for you and your students. Individual, Teacher and School licenses available. There are three ways to get Professional Development with DataClassroom Twice a month, we host - usually together with guest teachers - online workshops focusing on practical ways to working with DataClassroom in everyday teaching.

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Philpot Education: Support Site for IB DP Biology

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Philpot Education: Support Site for IB DP Biology

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I've used this to supplement my HL Bio lessons.  There are great graphics here.

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FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS

Support Sites

Practical teaching and learning materials for IB students and teachers with ready-made units, course guidance, skill-building activities, marked samples & teacher support, by experienced IBDP workshop leaders, textbook authors and examiners.

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Practical teaching and learning materials for IB students and teachers with ready-made units, course guidance, skill-building activities, marked samples & teacher support, by experienced IBDP workshop leaders, textbook authors and examiners.

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Geogebra:  Modeling SA:V ratios of a cube

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Geogebra:  Modeling SA:V ratios of a cube

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Use this to let students explore the relationship between the surface area and volume of a cube. They can conduct their own inquiry about the relationship and how this applies to cells.

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Geogebra: Modeling SA:V ratios of a sphere

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Geogebra: Modeling SA:V ratios of a sphere

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You can use this to have students explore the relationship between surface area and volume of a sphere.  Great tool to use for teaching importance of SA:V ratios for cells.

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Great for when you don't have access to solvents, or as a pre-lab activity.

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Paper Chromatography (Simulator) : Class 11 : Biology : Amrita Online Lab

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Separation of Plant Pigments through Paper Chromatography

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HASPI provides free curriculum resources for teachers—all you need to do is register to access the password-protected site.  Resources here are geared toward students on a health careers pathway.

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The Health and Science Pipeline Initiative (HASPI)

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HASPI is a collaborative network of K-16 educators, industry representatives, and community organizations that work together to prepare students from all academic levels and backgrounds to pursue any health training program of their choice, ranging from b

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Analyze This!: Science News for Students

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Analyze This!: Science News for Students

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Great stash of articles here that can be used to build science practice skills in students: analysis of data, graphs, reading comprehension.

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Analyze This! Archives | Science News Explores

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Exploring science through data, graphs, visualizations and more.

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Great series of interactive lessons on thermodynamics in biology.

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Like everything else in the universe, living things--and the cells that make them up--must abide by the laws of thermodynamics. First Law: Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred and transformed. Cells absorb energy and convert it into different forms. Second Law: Each time energy is transferred or transformed, the entropy of the universe increases.

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I love using Flipgrid with students because it allows them another way to communicate what they know about a topic we've studied or a lab that we've done. Integrates with Canvas LMS really nicely too!

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We express ourselves in different ways. On Flip, you can use our simple and fun built-in camera to record your thoughts, add effects and share within your Flip group as video, audio only or text in your web browser or mobile app.

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Flip is a video discussion and sharing app, free from Microsoft.

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Flip (formerly Flipgrid) is a video discussion and video sharing app, free from Microsoft, built for classrooms and beyond. Learn more.

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This is one of my favorite Biointeractive resources. I use it with my IB students as they begin to plan their IAs--from inception to execution. Really excellent tool for students embarking on inquiry-based student driven long term investigations.

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How Science Works | This interactive module allows students and educators to document, annotate, and reflect upon scientific research processes.

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If you're teaching students intro to stats, this is a great place to start.

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Sampling and Normal Distribution | This interactive simulation allows students to graph and analyze sample distributions taken from a normally distributed population.

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Great resource about human evolution here--the interactive about Neanderthal bodies is fascinating!

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Expanding worlds by exploring everything human.

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Teach students to analyze all sorts of graphs with this resource--lots of possibilities here for bellwork!

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Improve math literacy in the classroom with Kelly Turner's Graph of the Week

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The revised CED, effective August 2025

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Teach students to write concisely by using this tool.

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'Technical' words can be 'enclosed' in single quotes if, for example, you need to 'define' them. 'Phrases_need_underscores'.

You can refer to people by calling them Mr Surname or Ms Surname (e.g. Mr Obama). If you want you can cheat slightly using this, for example referring to Mr Hydrogen and Ms Oxygen.

If you're stuck for something to write about try: your favourite food, the plot of a good book, or your area of expertise.

Once you have come up with something amazing, click Perma-link and you can then copy the URL and share it with your friends

(Close)

Can you explain a hard idea using only the ten hundred most used words? It's not very easy. Type in the box to try it out.

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'Technical' words can be 'enclosed' in single quotes if, for example, you need to 'define' them. 'Phrases_need_underscores'. You can refer to people by calling them Mr Surname or Ms Surname (e.g. Mr Obama). If you want you can cheat slightly using this, for example referring to Mr Hydrogen and Ms Oxygen.

# data[].attributes.body
Stephen Taylor's IB Biology site with great resources for teaching SL or HL Biology.
https://i-biology.net/ibdpbio/

# data[].attributes.body
Chris Paine's excellent site for SL and HL Biology--lots of great resources for teaching IB Biology here!
http://www.bioknowledgy.info/

# data[].attributes.body
Gretel vonBargen's IB Biology website for students at Skyline HS, Sammamish, WA
http://www.biologyforlife.com/

# data[].attributes.body
Fantastic site for both SL and HL Biology.
http://www.ib.bioninja.com.au/welcome-to-the-bioninja/

# data[].attributes.body
Great resource from AAAS to use when teaching students how to read scientific papers.
http://www.scienceintheclassroom.org/

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Annotated research papers and accompanying teaching materials

# data[].attributes.body
This collection of resources from Nature is an in-depth exploration of the math we use as biologists.
https://www.nature.com/collections/qghhqm

# data[].attributes.body
Want a cheap way to construct models of concepts students struggle with, like DNA replication, CRISPR, mitochondrial structure, chromosome structure?  Origami Organelles has a ton of templates for paper models your students can make to illustrate these concepts.

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Origami Organelles - Innovative paper based modelling system.

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With our innovative models, students can fully understand a structure or concept by building it from colourful components themselves.

# data[].attributes.body
Information from Johns Hopkins about the importance of HeLa cells, and the history of their use, bioethics of their origin, and the role of Johns Hopkins hospital in the history of the HeLa cell line.

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Among the important scientific discoveries of the last century was the first immortal human cell line known as "HeLa" - a remarkably durable and prolific line of cells obtained during the treatment of Henrietta's cancer by Johns Hopkins researcher Dr. George Gey in 1951.

Although these were the first cells that could be easily shared and multiplied in a lab setting, Johns Hopkins has never sold or profited from the discovery or distribution of HeLa cells and does not own the rights to the HeLa cell line. Rather, Johns Hopkins offered HeLa cells freely and widely for scientific research.

Over the past several decades, this cell line has contributed to many medical breakthroughs, from research on the effects of zero gravity in outer space and the development of polio and COVID-19 vaccines, to the study of leukemia, the AIDS virus and cancer worldwide.

Although many other cell lines are in use today, HeLa cells have supported advances in most fields of medical research in the years since HeLa cells were isolated.

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The Importance of HeLa Cells | Johns Hopkins Medicine

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Among the important scientific discoveries of the last century was the first immortal human cell line known as "HeLa" - a remarkably durable and prolific line of cells obtained during the treatment of Henrietta's cancer by Johns Hopkins researcher Dr. George Gey in 1951.

# data[].attributes.body
A great online tool for drawing pedigrees for nearly every kind of inheritance!  Best--it's free:  http://www.free-pedigree-online.com/

# data[].attributes.body
Everything you ever wanted to know about teaching the quantitative skills needed for AP Biology.
http://media.collegeboard.com/digitalServices/pdf/ap/AP_Bio_Quantitative_Skills_Guide-2ndPrinting_lkd.pdf

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A site containing data sets from research done by scientists at Michigan State University.  You can have students manipulate these to practice quantitative skills.
http://datanuggets.org/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Data Nuggets | Bringing authentic research and data into K-16 classrooms

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Free activities that bring real scientific data into the classroom, guiding students through the process of science while building their quantitative abilities.

# data[].attributes.body
Some great online models for various topics in biology here.
https://concord.org/stem-resources/subject/biology

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STEM Resource Finder | Concord Consortium

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The STEM Resource Finder is a collection of the Concord Consortium's best resources for science, math, and engineering education. Our curated collections offer lesson plans and units for your class based on these resources. All for free!"

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Outstanding resources on the nature of science.
http://undsci.berkeley.edu/

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Understanding Science - How science REALLY works...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Understanding Science - How science REALLY works...

# data[].attributes.body
An absolute must if you're wanting to use FastPlants in the classroom.
http://www.fastplants.org/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Grow Fast Plants
Everything you need to know about growing fast plants.

Seed Varieties

Find the seed type that is best suited for your learning opportunity.

Lessons & Investigations

Classroom activities and guides for helping you plan your lessons.

Origin of Fast Plants

Learn about the history and creation of fast plants.

The Life Cycle of Fast Plants®

The life cycle for Fast Plants is extremely short; under ideal growing conditions of continuous light, water and nutrition, plants will produce harvestable seeds approximately 40 days after planting.

Learn More

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Fast Plants Conferences 2023 NABT CAST ACTE Booth Resources

It's the season of professional development conferences for teachers, educators, and our Fast Plants Team! Come visit our booths in the exhibit halls, they're always packed with living Fast Plants, recommended resources, and good conversation. Jackson is attending NABT in Baltimore; Hedi and Dan are attending CAST in Houston and ACTE in Phoenix! This blog post summarizes what you'll find ...

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Teach inheritance with Fast Plants - Where to start?

Are you just deciding how to start to teach inheritance patterns with Fast Plants? Or maybe you've used Fast Plants before and are ready to add another layer to your inheritance investigations. Because we have so many resources available, choosing where to start can be a bit daunting. So, in this post we guide you through the decision making process and link ...

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Digital Library of Fast Plants Resources

We are proud to announce a revision and upgrade to our Fast Plants Digital Library! In our more than 35 years serving teachers and researchers, the Wisconsin Fast Plants Program has always been dedicated to creating free, open source resources for using Fast Plants effectively as a model organism. The recently completed upgrade to our library allows us to make ...

Read More

View All Posts

Fast Plants Conferences 2023 NABT CAST ACTE Booth Resources

It's the season of professional development conferences for teachers, educators, and our Fast Plants Team! Come visit our booths in the exhibit halls, they're always packed with living Fast Plants, recommended resources, and good conversation. Jackson is attending NABT in Baltimore; Hedi and Dan are attending CAST in Houston and ACTE in Phoenix! This blog post summarizes what you'll find ...

Read More

Teach inheritance with Fast Plants - Where to start?

Are you just deciding how to start to teach inheritance patterns with Fast Plants? Or maybe you've used Fast Plants before and are ready to add another layer to your inheritance investigations. Because we have so many resources available, choosing where to start can be a bit daunting. So, in this post we guide you through the decision making process and link ...

Read More

Digital Library of Fast Plants Resources

We are proud to announce a revision and upgrade to our Fast Plants Digital Library! In our more than 35 years serving teachers and researchers, the Wisconsin Fast Plants Program has always been dedicated to creating free, open source resources for using Fast Plants effectively as a model organism. The recently completed upgrade to our library allows us to make ...

Read More

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Wisconsin Fast Plants of the University of Wisconsin: Homepage

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Wisconsin Fast Plants are perfect for teaching, learning & research. Find here everything about growing Fast Plants plus Open Source lessons.

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Great as a reference for an intro biology course. Uses Campbell's 8th edition as the basis for info, so proceed with caution if using for AP Bio.

http://bio1151.nicerweb.com/

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Photosynthesis Tutorial - HHMI BioInteractive

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Photosynthesis Tutorial - HHMI BioInteractive

# data[].attributes.body
This is a really excellent video of the animated tutorial available from HHMI BioInteractive. I use this in both my AP and Honors Bio classes.

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Photosynthesis | HHMI BioInteractive Video

# data[].attributes.body
A great animation that gives an overview of the nitrogen cycle.
http://vro.agriculture.vic.gov.au/dpi/vro/vrosite.nsf/pages/soilhealth_nitrogen-cycle

# data[].attributes.body
Outstanding resources for teaching students how to study.
http://lsc.cornell.edu/study-skills/read-about/

# data[].attributes.body
Short animation describing how a Winogradsky column is set up and why the components included are placed where they are.
http://www.sumanasinc.com/webcontent/animations/content/winogradsky.html

# data[].attributes.body
Provides information about phylogeny and biodiversity for organisms on the evolutionary tree of life.
http://tolweb.org/tree/

# data[].attributes.body
Site hosted by the University of Chicago dedicated to the discovery of Tiktaalik.
http://tiktaalik.uchicago.edu/index.html

# data[].attributes.body
A collection of excellent animations for many cellular processes.
http://vcell.ndsu.edu/animations/

# data[].attributes.body
TimeTree is a public knowledge-base for information on the evolutionary timescale of life. Data from thousands of published studies are assembled into a searchable tree of life scaled to time.
http://timetree.org/

# data[].attributes.headline
Understanding Surface Area to Volume Ratio

# data[].attributes.subject
Understanding Surface Area to Volume Ratio

# data[].attributes.body
Great tutorial with data explaining the importance of this ratio for cells.
http://www.tiem.utk.edu/~gross/bioed/bealsmodules/area_volume.html

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Geologic and Biological Timeline of the Earth

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Geologic and Biological Timeline of the Earth

# data[].attributes.body
A detailed account of major events in geologic time with a biological context.
http://www.scientificpsychic.com/etc/timeline/timeline.html

# data[].attributes.body
A collection of resources for biology students aggregated from different courses offered by MIT.
https://ocw.mit.edu/high-school/biology/

# data[].attributes.headline
Bozeman Science-Statistics and Graphing 

# data[].attributes.subject
Bozeman Science-Statistics and Graphing 

# data[].attributes.body
An excellent collection of how-tos for descriptive statistics and how to graph data by Paul Andersen.
http://www.bozemanscience.com/statistics-graphing/

# data[].attributes.body
An excellent introduction to statistics and their utility in helping us to understand data.
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/math/numbers

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We give this to our students to help them figure out what kind of graph is appropriate for the data they collect in lab.
http://participatoryscience.org/sites/default/files/ML1-Graph%20Choice%20Chart_28Feb2013.pdf

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Definitely could not do the biotech labs we do without Bio-Rad and their kits and support!
http://www.bio-rad.com/en-us/education

# data[].attributes.headline
Flinn Scientific-Safety Contract for HS Students

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Flinn Scientific-Safety Contract for HS Students

# data[].attributes.body
This is our standard issue safety contract.
https://www.flinnsci.com/high-school-student-safety-contract---english/dc10494/

# data[].attributes.body
An online game that teaches students about cell organelles and their interactions.
http://www.carolina.com/teacher-resources/Interactive/online-game-cell-structure-cellcraft-biology/tr11062.tr

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A collection of excellent animations of biological processes, down to the molecular level.
http://www.johnkyrk.com/

# data[].attributes.body
One of my favorite science writers, Ed Yong, writes for The Atlantic here.
https://www.theatlantic.com/author/ed-yong/

# data[].attributes.body
Science news as reported by the New York Times.
https://twitter.com/NYTScience

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Science news posted by the British publication The Guardian.
https://twitter.com/guardianscience

# data[].attributes.body
Open access scientific journal--I sometimes grab graphs/diagrams from here and create questions for students from them.
http://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/

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How Tumor Suppresors Block Cell Division-McGraw Hill 

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How Tumor Suppresors Block Cell Division-McGraw Hill 

# data[].attributes.body
A YouTube recording of an old McGraw-Hill Flash animation about how tumor suppressors regulate the cell cycle.

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McG-H - How Tumor Suppressor Genes Block Cell Division

# data[].attributes.body
I use this to help teach my students how to properly cite their work.
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

# data[].attributes.body
Great resources for teaching students to write lab reports.
https://www.ncsu.edu/labwrite/

# data[].attributes.body
Excellent resources here from PBS for teaching evolution, including simulations and games.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/evolution/

# data[].attributes.body
A collection of resources based on the PBS series Evolution.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/

# data[].attributes.body
This is Hank's collection of biology lessons.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3EED4C1D684D3ADF

# data[].attributes.body
A collection of resources by the folks at Nature Publishing Group. Be aware that it is archived and no longer updated.
http://www.nature.com/scitable

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Educators: Inspire your undergraduate and high-school AP biology students with resources on genetics and cell biology from Nature Publishing Group, home of Nature, the most cited scientific journal in the world.

Using our platform, you can customize your own eBooks for your students. Create an online classroom. Contribute and share content and connect with networks of colleagues.

Budding scientists also can find advice about effective science communication and career paths.

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From the publisher of Nature and Scientific American, Principles of Science is a series of textbooks designed for the world we live in today. The first textbook in the program, Principles of Biology, is a research-oriented, affordable interactive textbook for university-level introductory biology courses.

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Even though it's specific to the British GCSE curriculum, biology is still biology--great resources here can be used to review concepts in biology.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/subjects/z9ddmp3

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GCSE Biology (Single Science) - BBC Bitesize

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
GCSE Biology is the study of living organisms and their structure, life-cycles, adaptations and environment.

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Nobel Prize in Medicine-Educational Games

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Nobel Prize in Medicine-Educational Games

# data[].attributes.body
Lots of great games here that incorporate the work of Nobel Laureates, such as control of the cell cycle, animal behavior, blood typing and genetic code.

https://www.nobelprize.org/educational/

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On this page you'll find educational resources including animated games and easy to use Nobel Prize lessons for teachers to use in the classroom. Teachers and students are especially important to us. Many Nobel Prize laureates testify that a certain teacher challenged or encouraged them, and that the experience has been crucial to the choices they made in life. Through our educational efforts we want to assure many more student experience the feeling of a genuine aha-moment.

Some of our animated educational games are available to use again. We have been working hard to restore these ever since support for Flash Player was removed and hope even more will be available in the future.

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Educational Games These educational games, based on Nobel Prize-awarded achievements, will teach and inspire you while you're having fun! Nobel Prize lessons Nobel Prize Lessons are so easy to use, [...]

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A series of simulations that models the behavior of signal transduction pathways.
http://ats.doit.wisc.edu/biology/ap/st/st.htm

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Global Population, Box by Box-Hans Rosling on Population Growth

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Global Population, Box by Box-Hans Rosling on Population Growth

# data[].attributes.body
An excellent TED talk about human population growth and its impact on Earth's resources
https://www.ted.com/talks/hans_rosling_on_global_population_growth

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How Bacteria "Talk"-Bonnie Bassler on Quorum Sensing

# data[].attributes.subject
How Bacteria "Talk"-Bonnie Bassler on Quorum Sensing

# data[].attributes.body
An excellent talk about how V. fisherii communicates with members of its own species and others
https://www.ted.com/talks/bonnie_bassler_on_how_bacteria_communicate

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Human Origins at the Smithsonian Institute

# data[].attributes.subject
Human Origins at the Smithsonian Institute

# data[].attributes.body
Fantastic resources here for teaching about human origins as well as human impact on Earth
http://humanorigins.si.edu/

# data[].attributes.headline
National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science-University at Buffalo

# data[].attributes.subject
National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science-University at Buffalo

# data[].attributes.body
The case studies here are excellent ways to get students involved in the content while honing critical thinking skills. Case studies are freely available but keys are available for $25/annually.
http://sciencecases.lib.buffalo.edu/cs/

# data[].attributes.body
An outstanding resource for teaching evolution and the nature of science for all levels
http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/evo_01

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What is evolution and how does it work? Evolution 101 provides the nuts-and-bolts on the patterns and mechanisms of evolution. You can explore the following sections: An introduction to evolution Evolution briefly defined and explained The history of life: looking at the patterns How does evolution lead to the tree of life?

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Aligned with the old "dirty dozen" AP Biology labs, these still make great pre-lab prep for inquiry-based versions of these labs
http://www.phschool.com/science/biology_place/labbench/

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Paul Andersen-Bozeman Science AP Biology Video Essentials

# data[].attributes.subject
Paul Andersen-Bozeman Science AP Biology Video Essentials

# data[].attributes.body
These videos produced by Paul Andersen are good summaries of content. Not completely in alignment to the current course framework (2025) but can serve as a resource for students.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFCE4D99C4124A27A

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Action Potential Animation-Harvard Neuroscience 

# data[].attributes.subject
Action Potential Animation-Harvard Neuroscience 

# data[].attributes.body
I use this as a tutorial for myself! It's no longer available on the Harvard website, but there is a video of it on YouTube.

# data[].attributes.body
Some great simulations and models of biological phenomena here
https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulations/category/biology

# data[].attributes.headline
Learn Genetics at the University of Utah

# data[].attributes.subject
Learn Genetics at the University of Utah

# data[].attributes.body
Fantastic site with excellent resources for genetics, cell biology and other biology topics including cell communication and epigenetics.
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/

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Learn.Genetics [Internet]. Salt Lake City (UT): Genetic Science Learning Center; 2018 [cited 2023 Nov 27] Available from https://learn.genetics.utah.edu/

# data[].attributes.body
I'm a fan of the resources at the DNALC--especially their DNA From the Beginning (dnaftb.org)
https://www.dnalc.org/

# data[].attributes.body
So many great things here--all aligned to AP Biology Curriculum Framework

https://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive

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In this activity, students further explore the short film Popped Secret: The Mysterious Origin of Corn, by working through the mathematical concepts behind George Beadle's claim that teosinte is the wild ancestor of maize.

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Empowering Educators. Inspiring Students. Real science, real stories, and real data to engage students in exploring the living world.

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AP Bio Course Information at AP Central 

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AP Bio Course Information at AP Central 

# data[].attributes.body
http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/courses/teachers_corner/2117.html