This month, Genome: Unlocking Life’s Code celebrates Henrietta Lacks’ birthday by highlighting the timeline which presents the life of Henrietta Lacks and the medical science discoveries resulting from her cells known as HeLa cells. Scroll through the timeline to learn more about who Henrietta Lacks was, how HeLa cells were discovered, and how medical science has benefitted. At the end of the timeline, four lesson plans created by K-12 educators in partnership with the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the National Human Genome Research Institute are freely available for download in PDF form. The lesson plans explore a variety of topics that interconnect Henrietta Lacks’ life and experiences and highlight the importance of these topics to our current understanding of science and society. Each lesson plan comes with instructional materials including resource sheets, PowerPoint slides, and introductory activities. Incorporate the lesson plans into your curriculum for this school year!

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DNA barcodes are sections of DNA in a genome that can be used to identify organisms. Introduce the use of DNA barcodes to sequence DNA to your students through the “Invasive Spotlight: The Northern Snakehead” StoryMap available from the Academy of Natural Sciences and the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC). This StoryMap provides a deep dive into the science of the northern snakehead invasion in North America, telling the story with the use of graphics and maps. Two activities are offered and DNA barcoding is one aspect of an activity that identifies what snakeheads are eating. The other activity uses maps to identify where the fish have been seen and their habitats. Teacher and student resources are available for each activity. An engaging and interesting approach to introducing DNA barcoding your students!

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