Grade: Senior
Subject: Science

#2835. Beaker Babies

Science, level: Senior
Posted Wed Mar 26 12:32:44 PST 2003 by Keith Lippincott (klippincott@johnston.k12.ia.us).
Johnston High School , Johnston Iowa USA
Materials Required: hand outs made from existing sheets
Concepts Taught: genetics

Beaker Babies: Read and follow instructions, answer any questions in complete sentences on your own paper. You will be asked to collect some data throughout the activity. Please do this on a sheet of paper separate from your questions.

1. With your partner create your male and female chromosomes. Record your genotype and phenotype on your paper.
Explain the reason each parent has 2 of each chromosome. How do the 2 chromosomes compare?


2. For hair color and eye color predict the probability of your offspring looking like their mother.
What is the probability of the offspring of having the same genetic makeup?

Speculate the logic of the probabilities for being this way?

3. Cut your female along the lines and put all of the genes for the mother in one beaker. Do the same for your male chromosomes, placing all of the genes in a beaker for the father.

Pull out one of each type of gene and make a single chromosome.

Why do you cut the chromosomes and randomly draw to make a new chromosome instead of passing on one complete chromosome?


What advantage is there in drawing the chromosomes randomly?

4. Put the two new chromosomes together and determine both the genotype and the phenotype for your first offspring.

What is the probability of your offspring having this genotype and phenotype? Explain your reasoning for determining your answer.

5. Predict the likelihood of your second offspring having the similar characteristics of the first child. Explain your predictions.


6. Create your second offspring using the same process as you did for your first.


How do your offspring compare? What caused these results?


So now your are going to be a grandparent

7. Select one of your offspring and then find a mate from another group in the classroom. Record the genotype and phenotype for each parent.


8. Prepare the chromosomes to be passed on to your grandbaby!! Explain how you did this.


9. Record your grandchild's genotype and phenotype

How does the genotype and the phenotype of your grandchild compare to each of its grandparents? List one trait contributed by a grandparent and tell which grandparent it came from.


If the new couple had more offspring, explain how their genotype and phenotype would compare to each other? . . . to their parents? . . . to their grandparents?


How would we be able to determine where a sex-linked problem enters a gene pool?


Genotypes and Phenotypes for Beaker Babies: DATA
A. Sex XX = female XY = Male
B. Hair Color BB = Black Bb = Brown or red bb = blonde
C. Eye color EE = brown/hazel Ee = green ee =blue
D. Height TT = tall Tt = medium tt = short
E. Size of feet FF = big Ff = medium ff = small
F. Tongue roll RR or Rr= tongue roller rr = non-roller
G. Size of palms PP = large Pp = medium pp = small
H. Bone structure LL = large Ll = medium ll = small
I. Blood Rh factor OO postive Oo positive oo negative
J. Widow's peak WW or Ww = widow's peak ww = no peak
K. Size of mouth MM = large Mm = medium mm = small
L. Size of nose NN = large Nn = medium nn = small
M. Size of ears ZZ = large Zz = medium zz = small
N. Size of eyes KK = large Kk = medium kk = small
O. Shape of lips DD = thick Dd = medium dd = small
P. Hair texture CC = curly Cc= wavy cc = straight
Q. Baldness HH = not bald Hh = carrier hh = bald