Mutations have a bad reputation ... but are they always harmful? Junior geneticists explore mutations and their effects in a Fuse School Evolution video. The content features sickle cell disease, its effects on the body, and its ability to protect those that suffer from it from malaria.

Concepts

natural selection, genetic mutation, sickle cell anemia, hemoglobin, red blood cells, dna, inherited traits

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Plan to use the video as a starting point for a sickle cell case study
• Provide additional examples of both helpful and harmful genetic mutations
  

Classroom Considerations

• Some prior knowledge of how mutations occur is useful but not completely necessary
  

• This video is hosted on YouTube

Pros

• The subject matter is interesting and explained thoroughly
• Illustrations help viewers understand the harmful nature of the sickle cell mutation

Cons

• None

Common Core

SL.9-10.2