The mathematics behind genetic fingerprinting is explored in this resource, from the Centre for Innovation in Mathematics Teaching. Sketches show, in simplified form, how genetic fingerprinting can be applied to establish paternity and students calculate the probabilities of matching bands from samples.

This...

Produced in 2015, these resources look specifically at how genes can be altered in plants and how bacteria are central to genetic engineering techniques. Genetically modified (GM) crops offer the potential to help improve food security though this still remains...

Produced for the Citizen Science project, this resource enagages students in the debate around genetic testing and screening. It is suitable for students aged 14-16 and post-16. The activity provides an opportunity to investigate genetic disorders before considering a number of statements and situations concerning...

This 5-minute video interview with Dr Cristobal Uauy of the John Innes Centre introduces post-16 students to contemporary genomics and food security.

Dr Cristobal Uauy is passionate about helping the world’s...

This pack explores some of the inventions and discoveries that have had a significant impact on the human race. The discussions and experiments will be complemented by Twig Science films and quizzes.

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Produced as part of the Citizen Science project, these materials allow students to explore issues around human genetics using familiar game contexts. Suitable for students aged 11-16, the materials utilise activites similar to Pictionary, Taboo and Consequences to introduce a variety of issues.

The...

A number of scenarios are presented to encourage debate around genome sequencing. All teaching materials are provided.

• The interaction of genetic and environmental factors in influencing phenotype
• Ethical implications of genetic screening

Curriculum links:

• Sequencing...

This resource provides a set of videos of a practical investigation aimed at supporting working scientifically in the classroom and relating science to real world experiences. In the first video, Professor Brian Cox joins a teacher to find out how some...

In this Bowland task, students are presented with a picture of a geoboard - a number of nails arranged in a square lattice on a board. On the lattice there is a sequence of squares. Students are told the length of the side of each square, the number of nails on the edge of the square and the number of nails inside...

From the Integrating Mathematical Problem Solving project by Mathematics in Education and Industry (MEI), this activity for post-16 students demonstrates that the efficiency of a river can be measured using the hydraulic radius; this depends on the cross-sectional area of the river and the wetted perimeter of the...

This resource contains many examples of different kinds of geometric pattern. The introduction begins with border patterns; simple patterns which are easily reproduced by students.

This is followed by examples of tile patterns. Geometric patterns 3 to 6 are concerned with cyclotomy; the division of a circle...

This series of interactive excel sheets help investigate geometric series and progressions.

The first sheet generates the terms of a geometric progression, for |r| ≥ 1, and the value of a further term. A new sequence...

This excel file allows students to explore the successive terms of a Geometric Series. The first term and the common ratio can be altered and the successive terms and sum of the series shown on bar charts. The formula for the sum of a Geometric Series is derived and the...

Five squares are given. Each square contains a pattern of squares or triangles that become smaller and smaller until they are infinitely small. The challenge is to work out what fraction of each square is shaded. The challenge provides an introduction to the concept of geometric progressions and the idea of a limit...