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Instructions: Before we get into the “fun” stuff in Genetics, it is important that we
review the basics. This web quest was designed for you to review the basic concepts from
Biology. I highly suggest that upon completion of the assignment you keep it in your
notebook for reference for the rest of the semester.
Part 1: History
Log on to www.dnai.org. Click on the tab for timeline and move the mouse over each
decade to find out more information about the following people.
1. Gregor Mendel
What year on the timeline is he found? ______________________
July 20, 1822 – January 6, 1884
Pre-1920s
What did the scientist(s) “do” or discover?
“Father of modern genetics”
Laws of inheritance
Pea plant experiments (punnet squares)
Laws of Mendelian inheritance
Gregor Mendel work with pea plants and examined that while crossing
plats with certain traits, the presence of those traits in the next generation could be
predicted. The 3:1 ratio
2. Erwin Chargaff
What year on the timeline is he found? ______________________
Early 1950’s
Known for Chargaff’s ratios
%A=%T
%G=%C
What did the scientist(s) “do” or discover?
The percentage of A (adenine) is the same as the percentage of T
(thymine), and the percentage of G (guanine) is the same as the percentage
of C (cytosine). He conducted this experiment and saw the same
percentage happening on many organisms; however, he wasn’t able to
give any meaning to his data.
3. Hershey & Chase
What year on the timeline is he found? ______________________
Early 1950’s
What did the scientist(s) “do” or discover?
The Hershey-Chase experiment
The experiment confirmed that the genetic material responsible for
inheritance and storage of genetics information was in fact DNA and not
protein as it was still believed possible.
4. Rosalind Franklin
What year on the timeline is he found? ______________________
Early 1950’s
What did the scientist(s) “do” or discover?
Rosalind Franklin produced the X-ray crystallography pictures of DNA
which Watson and Crick used to determine the structure of doublestranded DNA.
Franklin's scientific contributions to the discovery of the double helix
(shape of DNA) are often overlooked
5. Watson & Crick
What year on the timeline is he found? ______________________
Early 1950’s
What did the scientist(s) “do” or discover?
Both are considered the co-discoverers of the structure of DNA (double
helix). They used data collected by Rosalind Franklin to complete their
models.
6. Arthur Kornberg
What year on the timeline is he found? ______________________
Late 1950’s
What did the scientist(s) “do” or discover?
He discovered the mechanism of the biological synthesis of DNA. He
discovered the DNA polymerase I, which is involved in the process of
DNA repair. His son, Thomas Kornberg, later discovered DNA
polymerase III, the main molecule responsible for DNA replication.
7. Cohen & Boyer
What year on the timeline is he found? ______________________
1970’s
What did the scientist(s) “do” or discover?
Recombinant DNA.
They took a small pieces of DNA from bacteria that had an specific trait
(antibiotic resistant) and inserted it into Plasmid (a very small round piece
of DNA), then took that plasmid and inserted it into another group that
lacked that antibiotic resistant property. The final result was the previously
non-resistant E.Coli took on the plasmid and gained the antibiotic resistant
from the original resistant E. Coli.
This process of taking DNA from one organism and insert it into another
organism became the bases for recombinant DNA technology
8. Frederick Sanger
What year on the timeline is he found? ______________________
1970’s
What did the scientist(s) “do” or discover?
He was the first to determine the sequence of amino acids in a protein. He
showed that the 51 amino acids present in Insulin had to be arranged in a
specific order for the protein to function properly.
He used the chain-termination method to sequence DNA which is still
used today.
9. Kary Mullins
What year on the timeline is he found? ______________________
1980’s
What did the scientist(s) “do” or discover?
Mullins is inventor of the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technique
which allows us to amplify specific DNA sequences from very small
amounts of genetic material. PCR has revolutionized DNA technology by
allowing scientists to produce an almost unlimited amount of highly
purified DNA molecules suitable for analysis or manipulation
10. Alec Jefferys
What year on the timeline is he found? ______________________
1980’s
What did the scientist(s) “do” or discover?
He developed the techniques for DNA fingerprinting. By using very
specific sequences of DNA, he could match a sample to a specific
individual, thus providing a new identification technique for forensic
science.
11. Robert Horvitz
What year on the timeline is he found? ______________________
Early 1990’s
What did the scientist(s) “do” or discover?
He used the nematode C. elegans as a model organism for genetic
analysis, which included the neuronal development system and the
genetics of cell lineage. Using model organism, we can carry out
experiments that otherwise would be impossible in humans.
12. Mary Claire King
What year on the timeline is he found? ______________________
1990’s
What did the scientist(s) “do” or discover?
She’s known for three major accomplishments:
1. Identifying breast cancer genes
a. Found that one gene on chromosome 17 was
responsible for many breast and ovarian cancer, and
that the cause of it may be hereditary.
2. Demonstrated that humans and chimps are 99% identical
3. Applied gnomonic sequencing to identify victims of human
rights abuse/genocide.
13. Patrick Brown
What year on the timeline is he found? ______________________
1990’s/2000’s
What did the scientist(s) “do” or discover?
He used DNA microarrays to study gene expression of whole organisms
and identified patterns associated with cancer.
14. Craig Venter
What year on the timeline is he found? ______________________
2000’s
What did the scientist(s) “do” or discover?
He founded Celera genomics and sequenced the human genome.
Once the project was completed, the published the sequenced human
genome to the public domain to be use by anyone.
He pioneered the shotgun sequencing method, which is less accurate than
other methods, but considerably faster.
15. Francis Collins
What year on the timeline is he found? ______________________
2000’s
What did the scientist(s) “do” or discover?
He was the project Director of the National Human Genome Research
Institute to sequence the human genome.
Part 2: A Review of the Basics
16. What are the 2 types of cells found in the human body? What are they called? Identify
if they are formed by mitosis or meiosis!
Somatic (body) cell:
Contain all 46 chromosomes organized in 23 pairs
They are formed by Mitosis.
They make up all of the body’s organs and structures
Sex cells:
Contain 23 chromosomes (1 of each)
Either an X chromosome or a Y chromosome
They are formed by Meiosis.
They are in charge of reproduction.
Log on to http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/begin/cells/insideacell/ to answer the
following questions. Move the mouse around the cell to find the organelle.
17. What is the function of the nucleus?
The nucleus houses the DNA of the cell.
It is where gene expression occurs and mediates DNA replication.
It creates a segregated location for the regulated transcription (DNA  RNA) of
genes
18. What is the function of the mitochondria?
Mitochondria are the powerhouses of the cell.
It is in charge of creating the majority of the cell’s ATP (energy source)
19. The mitochondria contain what two important components?
It has its own DNA to maintain its functions.
Electron Transport Chain
The site where most of the entire cell’s ATP gets produced.
20. What is the function of the endoplasmic reticulum?
It is the site where most of the protein synthesis (folding) takes places as well as
the transport method of synthesized proteins.
21. The rough ER contains what organelle? What is the function of that organelle?
The ribosome
The ribosome synthesizes the proteins in the process known as translation.
Part 3: Let’s go inside the cell’s nucleus!
Log on to http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/begin/tour/. Explore the activity to find
the answers to the questions below.
22. What is DNA?
DNA is a nucleic structure responsible for storing all of the genetic information of
living organisms.
23. What does “DNA” stand for?
Deoxyribonucleic acid
24. What is the four-letter DNA alphabet and what are the special rules by which the
alphabet pieces bind together?
A – Adenine
G – Guanine
bonds with
bonds with
T – Thymine
C – Cytosine
25. What is a gene?
It is the name given to some stretches of DNA that code for specific proteins or
for functional RNA molecules.
26. What are genes made of?
They are made of the four nucleotides (A,T,G,C) in an specific order.
27. How many genes do humans have?
Humans have an estimated~ 20,000 genes.
28. For what molecules do genes contain the instructions for building?
They have the instruction for building proteins.
They are first Transcript to RNA molecules, which are then Translated into
protein molecules.
29. What is a chromosome?
It is an organized structure of DNA and proteins found in cells.
30. How many chromosomes does a human cell hold?
46 chromosomes in 23 pairs
31. How are the human sex chromosomes labeled?
X chromosome and the Y chromosome
XX – female
XY – male
32. How many different kinds of proteins does one cell contain?
Many, many, many different types of proteins, which are classified based on their
functions inside the cell.
Part 4: So where do we go from here?
Log on to http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/home.shtml
33. When was the human genome project completed?
2003
34. What were the six goals of the project?
1. Provide an accurate and complete sequence of the 3 billion DNA base pairs
that make up the human genome.
2. Find the coding sites for all the estimated ~20,000/25,000 human genes.
3. Developed new technologies to obtain and further analyze the genome.
4. Explore the ethical, legal, and social implications of sequencing the genome.
5. Sequence other organisms, such as the mouse and fruit fly, which are
important as model organism for medical research.
6. To explore our origins thru our genome and better understand what makes us
human.
7. To store the sequence in databases and make it available to all.