DNA Day was created in 2003 by a congressional resolution to celebrate two important milestones in the study of genetics: the 50th anniversary of the description of the double-helix structure of DNA by James D. Watson and Francis H.C. Crick and the completion of the Human Genome Project. DNA Day is usually celebrated on April 25th, but to accommodate classroom schedules, many activities will be taking place a day early on Friday April 24th.

• DNA Day Chatroom: The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) will be hosting its annual DNA Day chatroom from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., EDT on April 24th. Genomics and genetics experts will answer questions from students, teachers and the general public on topics ranging from basic genomic research to the genetic basis of disease to ethical questions about genetic privacy. Transcripts from past chatrooms can be found here.
• Teaching Tools for DNA Day: To plan your own DNA Day activities, check out the NHGRI’s collection of teaching tools and webcasts.  And don’t miss our collection of DNA-themed activities.
• DNA Day Online: National DNA Day is on Facebook and Twitter.  You can compete to win a NHGRI mug in their DNA model photo contest.  Pictures can be uploaded through April 24th.  You can also send a virtual gene via Facebook (thanks to Genome Alberta) or send a DNA Day e-card.

What are you doing to celebrate?  Leave us a comment – we’d love to know.  And if you know of any cool DNA Day happenings, let us know about those too!

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For many people, the first and last place they will ever study genetics is high school biology class. So it is crucial that these classes prepare people to deal with the barrage of genetic advancements that are increasingly impacting everyday life.

Unfortunately, many high school biology courses are not doing such a good job of communicating the fundamentals of genetics, according to an analysis by researchers from the American Society for Human Genetics (ASHG).

For three years now the ASHG, along with several partners, has sponsored the Annual National DNA Day Essay Contest. The contest challenges high school students to examine, question, and reflect on the important concepts of genetics. Shortly before DNA Day 2008, researchers used a selection of these essays from previous years to see where students might be going wrong. Their results were published in the journal Genetics.

Several themes emerged from the authors’ analysis. Most striking were the students’ lack of understanding of the limits to genetic engineering and their belief that single genes always determine traits and diseases.

The researchers attributed students’ misconceptions to “genohype” in media coverage of scientific discoveries, science curriculum standards that lack depth, and even the undergraduate biology education teachers receive.

Students often equated the identification of a disease-associated gene with “curing” a disease through gene replacement. A disturbing number of students thought genetic engineering could be used to “improve” and “design” their offspring, with the goal of having a “perfect” child.

Some students even suggested that genetic engineering would allow scientists to put a gene from one species into another in order to get a specific trait. For example:

“We could eliminate all the premature deaths of people dying around the world from thirst if we genetically modified people to inherit some of the characteristics of the camel, allowing them to go for months at a time without drinking water.”

The rules of the DNA Day Essay contest require teachers to submit the top three essays for each question from their students. The fact that so many essays were from students with serious misunderstandings suggested to the ASHG researchers that the teachers themselves may not be receiving very good undergraduate training in genetics, and that their unchallenged misconceptions are being passed on.

Like many before them, the authors of the ASHG study suggest that partnerships between scientists and educators will be valuable in improving genetics education. They propose shifting instruction from the simple Mendelian view of inheritance to a more nuanced perspective that takes into account multiple genetic and non-genetic contributions to traits and diseases, with a focus on concepts over content. But, they concede, this type of change is impeded by the need for districts and states to demonstrate content knowledge on standardized tests.

“Until significant research is performed by scientists and their educator colleagues that demonstrates which methods adequately teach both content and concepts, schools systems are unlikely to change their methods,” the authors write.


Some resources for genetics education:

• 23andMe’s own Genetics 101
• University of Utah Genetic Science Learning Center
• Dolan DNA Learning Center at Cold Spring Harbor

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Even though there are still 152 days to go until DNA Day 2009, it’s never too early for high school students to start thinking about next year’s essay contest.

The deadline for teachers to submit the top three essays from their classes is March 16, 2009.

Rules and questions are posted on the ASHG website.

First place winners for each question will win $400, second place winners will get $250, and third place winners will receive $150. The teachers who submit the first place essays will also receive $2000 to purchase laboratory genetics equipment.

In 2003 Congress designated April 25th as “DNA Day” to commemorate the completion of the Human Genome Project in April 2003, and Watson and Crick’s publication of the double-helix structure of DNA in 1953.

Educating people of all ages about the importance (and fun!) of genetics is a core value at 23andMe. Our goal is to give you access to your genome and the tools to understand it. To start learning a little more about DNA, take a look at the Genetics 101 section of our website.

As DNA Day gets closer, be sure to keep checking in with The Spittoon – we’ll let you know about DNA Day activities planned throughout the country and continue to update you on the latest and greatest in genetics research.

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You may have seen our recent posts about DNA-themed activities and events for DNA Day. But what is DNA Day all about anyway?

DNA Day was created in 2003 by concurrent (Senate and House) congressional resolution to celebrate two important milestones in the study of genetics: the 50th anniversary of the description of the double-helix structure of DNA by James D. Watson and Francis H.C. Crick and the completion of the Human Genome Project.

Watson and Crick

On April 25, 1953 James Watson and Francis Crick published their description of the structure of DNA in the journal Nature. This report is considered one of the greatest scientific contributions of the last century. In 1962 Watson and Crick, along with Maurice Wilkins (another scientist who was involved in solving the structure of DNA), won the Nobel prize in Physiology or Medicine for their work.

Biographies of each man, their Nobel lectures, and other resources are available at the Nobel Foundation’s website.

Rosalind Franklin, whose x-ray images of DNA were critical to solving its structure, was not included in the Nobel prize given to Watson, Crick and Wilkins (Franklin passed away in 1958 and the award is not given posthumously). You can learn about her career and how her work contributed to the solving of the structure of DNA at Nova’s online exhibit “Secret of Photo 51“.

Human Genome Project

The Human Genome Project, completed in 2003, was a 13-year endeavor coordinated by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health. Scientists from around the U.S. and the world contributed to one of the greatest feats of science ever.

The goals of the Human Genome Project were to

• identify all of the approximately 20,000-25,000 genes in human DNA,
• determine the sequences of the 3 billion chemical base pairs that make up human DNA,
• store this information in databases,
• improve tools for data analysis,
• transfer related technologies to the private sector, and
• address the ethical, legal, and social issues (ELSI) that may arise from the project.

If you really want to get into the data, the NCBI Human Genome Resources page offers tons of information about the human genome – you can even download the sequence.

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Chat Online with a Geneticist
The National Human Genome Research Institute will host an online chat room from 8:00 am to 6:00pm (Eastern) on April 25, 2008. Students, teachers, and members of the public can chat with leading researchers in the field of genetics. To get ideas for questions, check out the transcript from last year’s chat room.

North Carolina DNA Day
The University of North Carolina is training DNA Day Ambassadors who will visit classrooms across the state to teach about DNA. The North Carolina DNA Day website also has some DNA themed activities you can download.

Oklahoma City Community College
Oklahoma City Community College received a grant from NHGRI to fund DNA Day activities. They are hosting a DNA Day Symposium and have materials available for use in local classrooms.

Brooklyn Public Library
On April 25th, 2008 from 10 am – 4 pm the Brooklyn Public Library will host National DNA Day @ Brooklyn Public Library, a program designed to help students, teachers and the public learn more about genetics and genomics.

The Discovery Center
The Discovery Center in Springfield, Missouri will be hosting an event for DNA Day on April 25, 2008 with exhibits and activities for all ages.

Community of Genetics Educators Chat Room
On Wednesdays from March 12 until April 23 the Community of Genetics Educators (COGE) will host a live Question and Answer Chat from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm EDT. Chatters can have their questions about DNA Day answered by NHGRI staff.

More NHGRI Grants
The Wisconsin Department of Health, Miami University in Ohio, and the University of Nebraska Medical Center were each awarded funds by NHGRI to create DNA Day activities in their communities. You can check out descriptions of their projects here.

European DNA Day Essay Contest – DNA Day Goes International!
If you’re in Europe, check out the European Society of Human Genetics DNA Day essay contest for high school students. The deadline is April 30, 2008.

Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University will have DNA Day ambassadors for local schools and a DNA Day Symposium.

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• The Health Museum, Houston, TX is hosting “Genome: The Secret of How Life Works” from 2/2/08 to 5/4/08.
• The Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, CA, is showing Genetics: Technology with a Twist. They also have an online exhibition Understanding Genetics.
• The Dolan DNA Learning Center at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York hosts several exhibitions on the subject of genetics. They also have Saturday DNA! – a series of classes and laboratory sessions for interested students.
• At the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, you’ll find Genetics: Decoding Life.
• Find out about the monk who started it all – Gregor Mendel: Planting the Seeds of Genetics is at the Pink Palace Museum in Memphis, Tennessee from 2/2/08 until 4/27/08.
• The St. Louis Science Center has the DNA Zone Gallery.
• At The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia you can learn how genetics is just one aspect of making you you in the exhibit Identity: An Exhibition of You.

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