Devils in Danger
Inheritance & Cancer
The following module is comprised of two parts aimed at giving students an insight into the inheritance of DNA and genes before introducing the topic of Cancer. Students will have the opportunity to create their own Tasmanian Devil by decoding sequences of base pairs. The activities will allow for hands on participation from the students as well as group work and class discussion. Students will also be introduced to the topic of cancer, and how it is formed. This will be supported by Dr Ujvari's research focusing on transmissible cancers in Tasmanian devils.
![2438455670_51febe8e3b[1]](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/9dd6a2_24b3af7e982548e198b53b1d22066692~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_125,h_94,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/9dd6a2_24b3af7e982548e198b53b1d22066692~mv2.jpg)
Learning Objectives
By the end of this module students should understand:
-
DNA is inherited by offspring from their parents.
-
DNA contains instructions that decide the traits of an organism.
-
Information in a DNA molecule is divided into segments known as genes.
-
Variations in DNA result in the inheritance of alternative traits.
-
Dominant and recessive inheritance patterns shape the traits found in offspring.
-
How cancer is formed when a DNA mutation is replicated uncontrollably.
Victorian Curriculum Links
The DNA in Tasmanian Devils activity can be incorporated into the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) Science Understanding category of Biological Sciences. In particular at the Level 9 and 10 Science Understanding descriptor:
-
The transmission of heritable characteristics from one generation to the next involves DNA and genes (VCSSU119). In particular, this module will address the following elaborations:
-
using models and diagrams to represent the relationship between DNA, genes and chromosomes
-
recognising that genetic information passed on to offspring is from both parents
-
representing patterns of inheritance of a simple dominant/recessive characteristic
-