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breakthroughs in medical research: related resources
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Find Below: PBS Web Sites, Other Recommended Links, Recommended Books
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DNA
Lesson plans, historical information and interactive features about the birth of genetics and the discovery of DNA can be found on this Web site.
The Forgetting: A Portrait of Alzheimer's
Learn more about the disease that afflicts almost 3 million Americans.
NewsHour Online: Stem Cell Research
The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer takes a look at the controversy over stem cell research.
NewsHour Online: The Cloning Debate
A survey of the medical, ethical, legal and political ramifications of human cloning.
Red Gold
Learn how human blood has had an impact on everything from medicine to commerce to religion to popular culture throughout history.
Bloodlines: Technology Hits Home
With new advances in biotechnology, are we creating a world we don't want to inhabit?
Frontline: "The Alternative Fix"
Do alternative medical treatments really work?
Children's Hospital
Find lesson plans on medical breakthroughs and the pioneers who made them possible.
American Experience: "Partners of the Heart"
Learn how an alliance between an African American medical genius and a White surgeon led to some of the 20th century's pioneering medical breakthroughs.
recommended web sites
Revolution in Progress: Human Genetics and Medical Research
http://history.nih.gov/exhibits/genetics/
Secondary students will benefit from this site from the National Institutes of Health which presents genetic basics, diagnosing and treating genetic diseases, gene therapy and ethical concerns. Another section relates to genes and drugs, vaccines, and enzyme replacement therapy. A glossary provides useful definitions. There is a section for kids, which presents more simple genetic information in cartoon format.
Subject: Health & Fitness
More Recommended Health & Fitness Links
Save the Antibiotic: Don't Use It When You Don't Need It
http://www.savetheantibiotic.com/public_html/index2/index2.html
Designed for older elementary and middle school students, this site deals with the dangers of using antibiotics unnecessarily and therefore making more resistant strains of bacteria. Children learn about antibiotics, microbes, and infections. You'll get an idea of how bad the Black Death and tuberculosis were. There are suggested ways to protect yourself against bugs, including washing hands well, getting vaccines, and taking medication when it is appropriate. The site cautions that every time we use antibiotics the wrong way, we just help the bugs get stronger.
Subject: Health & Fitness
More Recommended Health & Fitness Links
CNN: The Stem Cell Debate
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/stemcell/
This in-depth site from CNN highlights the issues, the science, and the politics of stem cell research. There is a Flash animation explaining how embryonic stem cells are extracted and then developed into different types of tissue. Stem cells have the potential to develop into any type of body cell and might be able to replace damaged cells in a person's body such as Christopher Reeve's spinal cord cells. At the heart of the debate is the use of embryos for research into treating debilitating diseases, requiring the destruction of the embryo after extracting the stem cells. Explore the site and decide where you stand on the issue. Video clips can be viewed in Quicktime, RealPlayer, or Windows Media.
Subject: Science & Technology
More Recommended Science & Technology Links
Altweb: Alternatives to Animal Testing on the Web
http://altweb.jhsph.edu
The 3 R's at this site from Johns Hopkins Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing are: Reduction, Refinement, and Replacement. To avoid using animals in testing products, medical procedures, and other scientific studies, these three methods are promoted as alternatives. Humane treatment of lab animals including rats, mice, primates, dogs, cats, rabbits, pigs, guinea pigs, birds, sheep, fish is paramount. Check the FAQ section for alternatives to using animals in school labs, arguments for and against using animals in testing, and what kind of every day products have used animals for testing.
Subject: Science & Technology
More Recommended Science & Technology Links
Kids 4 Research
http://www.kids4research.org
Using lab animals for testing is the focus of this site from the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science. It promotes responsible laboratory animal care and use in biomedical/biological research, testing, and education. The site also provides information on the benefits of such research to animals, humans, and the environment. Other topics include product safety, diseases, careers, and debates related to using animals for testing products and medicine. Given the sponsor, there is a bias to the site to consider, but they offer resources that also advocate for alternatives to animal testing. There are separate sections of resource materials for elementary and secondary students. Try some of the games and puzzles in the "Fun Stuff" section. The site is also available in Spanish.
Subject: Science & Technology
More Recommended Science & Technology Links
recommended books
The Miraculous Fever-Tree
By Fiammetta Rocco
Published August 2003
Grades: 9-12
Subjects: Health & Fitness
Malaria weakened the Roman Empire, felled troops from both the North and South during the American Civil War, and halted the construction of the Panama Canal. Malaria still kills every thirty seconds despite modern medicine. This history spans four hundred years recounting the search for its cure.
More Recommended Health & Fitness Books
The New Killer Diseases
By Eleanor Levy And Mark Fischetti
Published July 2003
Grades: 9-12
Subjects: Health & Fitness
Since the 1970s thirty new diseases like SARS, West Nile, and Ebola have been identified and twenty diseases once thought conquered like plague, cholera, and tuberculosis have reemerged. The author, an immunologist and professor of microbiology, examines the threat of disease and what is being done to control their spread. She explores our own culpability in the development and spread of superbugs. A final chapter suggests what can be done to fight back.
More Recommended Health & Fitness Books
The Tree of Life: Charles Darwin
By Peter Sis
Published October 2003
Grades: 3-5; 6-8
Subjects: Science & Technology
Charles Darwin was twenty-two years old when he embarked on the H.M.S. Beagle for a five year voyage that would give direction to his life and change our view of nature. Sis's book takes the form of a well-illustrated journal providing a brief biography as well as an overview of Darwin's discoveries, experiments, and theories. This is an excellent introduction to the life and work of a major scientist.
More Recommended Science & Technology Books
Usborne Internet Linked Introduction to Genes and DNA
By Anna Clayborne and Stephen Moncrieff
Published June 2003
Grades: 3-5; 6-8
Subjects: Science & Technology
This book explains what genes and DNA are and how they work, describes how traits are passed on, traces the development of DNA science, looks at some current controversies, examines bioethics, and provides a reference section with timeline, who's who, glossary, and facts and figures. Internet links are given for more visual presentations.
More Recommended Science & Technology Books
Mavericks, Miracles, and Medicine: The Pioneers Who Risked Their Lives to
Bring Medicine into the Modern Age
By Judith Fenster
Published September 2003
Grades: 6-8; 9-12
Subjects: Science & Technology
Twenty medical breakthroughs are briefly presented in this history of
medicine, as well as the men and women who risked all to advance science.
Five sections address the body, germ theory, cures, mind, and surgery.
More Recommended Science & Technology Books