Geospiza, Inc. Exploring DNA Structure

Education Products

Geospiza is committed to helping students and teachers benefit from the digital revolution. Join us in using digital biology to explore the wonders of inner space through cyberspace and beyond. We are working to help instructors use digital biology in the classroom through professional development, and by creating instructional materials that incorporate authentic data and bioinformatics tools. Let's use computers for doing science!
New! A Beginner's Guide to Molecular Structures
	Written for a general audience, A Beginner's Guide to Molecular Structures is designed to help anyone learn how to find molecular structures and view them with Cn3D (a free program from the NCBI). Learn how to investigate structures by changing the coloring and drawing styles, how to use Entrez to work with databases like PubChem, MMDB, VAST, and CDD. Learn how to superimpose structures, as shown above, and see how they change when one structure contains a mutation. Move your mouse over the image above to see an example from one of the activities! Some of the favorite activities are investigating drug resistance, seeing how the structure of green fluorescent protein changes as it begins to fluoresce, and seeing how genetic changes affect alcohol metabolism. Cross-word puzzles and word search activities help make learning fun! A Beginner's Guide to Molecular Structures comes in two diferent forms, for a lovely version that will look good on your shelf, we have a version printed by Lulu.com We also have a version with a wire binding printed by CafePress that's convenient to use while you work. Read a review!
Acrobat Reader® is required to view the examples listed below. Download Acrobat Reader. 1. Table of Contents (.pdf) 2. Example activity (.pdf)
Exploring DNA Structure (lab book and CD-ROM)
	Students use Exploring DNA Structure to learn about DNA first-hand by working with molecular models from authentic DNA structures. A combination of guided and inquiry-driven activities help students identify important features in DNA, learn how information is stored and copied, and see how other molecules recognize those features.
Exploring DNA Structure A Guide for Instructors
	Get ideas for using DNA molecular modeling in the classroom , extending the activities, and assessing the results.

What do students say?

General biology students at Johns Hopkins University, Maryland

"I liked how the CD allowed a step by step guide. It really helped to clear the ambiguities. It also made me learn more material in a less amount of time."

"I thought it was very useful to see the 3D structures of the DNA and proteins, especially since the depicted nucleic acids could be revolved and viewed from all sides. It is otherwise very difficult to picture a three-dimensional structure which you have only seen depicted in two dimensions."

"The 3-d modeling of DNA and proteins was the coolest thing I did in class."

Biotechnology students at Lynnwood High School, Washington

"It is a good way to simplify looking at proteins and DNA."

"Being able to play with the structure made it easier to understand proteins."

"I didn't realize that proteins, RNA, and DNA were more than a picture in a book."