What can we learn
from worms?
How the nematode C. elegans maintains balance in a changing environment
This web version of the curriculum was created for direct student access.
Additional information:
An overview of the unit and teacher background information
Overview
C. elegans is a well-studied model organism used in research on genetics, development, and behavior.
In this online unit, students get to know C. elegans in laboratory conditions and observe what happens when wild type and mutant worm strains are moved into a new, high salt environment. The lessons teach how worms maintain homeostasis in a challenging environment, how genes and environment interact to determine traits, and how an environmental factor affects the expression of a trait (NGSS HS-LS1-3, HS-LS3.B). The unit also reinforces the concepts of transcription and translation.
What can we learn from worms? is Copyright 2013 by University of Washington. What can we learn from worms? was created by Genome Sciences Education Outreach (GSEO) and was supported by a Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) from the Office of Research Infrastructure Programs of the National Institutes of Health through Grant Number R25OD010966.
Permission is hereby granted to download, reproduce electronically or through printing or photocopying, and distribute copies of What can we learn from worms? for non-commercial, educational purposes only, provided that credit for the source (GSEO and https://gsoutreach.gs.washington.edu/) and copyright (© 2013 University of Washington) is given.