Welcome to the Quantitative Biology Project
Diffusion:
Why are cells so small?
This unit is designed to demonstrate the role of diffusion in the
movement of molecules within cells, and in constraining cell size. In
3 Problem Sets, students discover the changing relationship between surface
area and volume as 3-dimensional shapes increase in size; they also explore
an interactive animation demonstrating the random walk of molecules; and
they hypothesize about whether diffusion alone is adequate for moving
molecules in large cells.
Gene
Mapping: How do we know where a gene is on a chromosome?
This unit is designed to demonstrate the connection between recombination
frequency during reproduction and physical location of genes on chromosomes.
Students replicate the analytical work of the Morgan fly lab at Columbia
by comparing expected and actual phenotypic ratios for linked genes, and
discover how recombination frequencies translate into actual physical
distances between genes on a chromosome.
Mutation:
Are mutations always bad?
The purpose of this unit is to help students gain fluency with the
various types of point mutations, and gain a conceptual understanding
of why the consequences of all point mutations is not the same Students
explore an interactive animation that demonstrates the consequences of
various point mutations in DNA, and gain fluency with use of the genetic
code “dictionary.” They hypothesize about the effects of various point
mutations on gene products. Finally, they explore the example of the sickling
allele in hemoglobin and its balanced polymorphism in malarial areas,
by running interactive simulations of the effects of selection on one
or another phenotype
RNA: What's
the deal with introns in RNA?
This unit is designed to enhance students understanding of the role
of mRNA in the regulation of gene products, both through alternative splicing
and through varying half-lives.