Welcome to the Biomedical Beat Educator’s Corner! This free resource is designed for educators to build on the existing STEM content from Pathways through the integration of supplemental material in Biomedical Beat blog posts. The Educator’s Corner is intended to give you additional tools to use in your lesson plans.
Pathways is a collection of free educational resources about basic biomedical science and research careers, created through NIGMS’ collaboration with Scholastic, Inc. The Pathways materials, designed for grades 6 through 12, include student magazines, educator lesson plans, activities, and videos.
Below you’ll find a carefully curated list of blog posts from NIGMS that connect topically to issues of Pathways. We also provide suggestions for how to use the posts as educational supplements.
RNA molecules play essential roles in protein building and other
cellular processes. They also have the potential to help prevent,
diagnose, and treat disease.
This post discusses RNA’s role in protein synthesis and in the
COVID-19 vaccines, which is the topic of Pathways.
ACTIVITY
After students have read the blog post, have them compare and contrast
the mRNA found naturally in our bodies and the mRNA found in vaccines,
either individually or in small groups. Then have students share their
conclusions with the class. Examples: both are made of nucleotides,
both are recognized by the body as instructions for making proteins,
both lead to protein synthesis, our bodies make the
endogenous
mRNA and scientists make the vaccine mRNA, endogenous mRNA codes for
human proteins while the vaccine mRNA codes for a viral protein.
The boundaries of cells and many organelles are marked by
membranes—layers of lipids and proteins. Membranes not only provide
structure, but also control the import and export of molecules and
support cellular communication.
For mRNA vaccines to be effective, they must be able to cross
membranes. Pathways mentions that the mRNA is specially
packaged to cross these membranes.
ACTIVITY
Once students have read the blog post, ask them why they think that
lipid nanoparticles are necessary for the mRNA to survive and be
effective. The lipid nanoparticles encapsulate the mRNA by creating a
bubblelike barrier that won’t rapidly disintegrate. They also help the
mRNA get into cells, which is necessary for their transformation into
spike proteins. Cell membranes are composed of fatty lipids too, so
the nanoparticles can pass through them without needing a specialized
transport protein like large or charged molecules usually do. Once the
nanoparticle is inside the cell, it eventually disintegrates and
releases its mRNA package into the cell.
Optional demonstration: You can do this
demonstration in front of the class or divide the students into
small groups and have them do it on their own.
Drop some oil into a glass of water. You’ll see the oil immediately
form small bubbles that will merge into larger bubbles. Ask the
students to explain how this demonstration mimics lipid nanoparticles.
The small bubbles that form are like nanoparticles, staying away from
the water. The small bubbles merging into larger ones are an example
of how the nanoparticles will be allowed through the membrane, since
lipids and oil are both fats and prefer to be with other fatty things
rather than with water.
In Other Words: Translation Isn’t Only for Languages
ABOUT THE POST
What comes to mind when you hear or see the word translation?
Likely, you might think about converting words from one language into
another. But in biology, translation means producing proteins from
messenger RNA. It’s part of the system through which DNA directs the
processes of life. Our cells carry out translation constantly to build
protein molecules that transport oxygen, defend us against infection,
and perform many other tasks.
This post explains how the body makes proteins from mRNA, which is
what’s found in the vaccines for COVID-19 described in
Pathways.
ACTIVITY
Have students read the short post individually or as a class. Then
discuss how the COVID-19 vaccine skips a few of the early steps
mentioned in this post by directly delivering mRNA (so no need for RNA
polymerase to access the DNA and copy it into mRNA). Have students
follow along with the post’s description to discuss how mRNA is
converted into the spike protein (all part of step three of the
Pathways infographic): mRNA is injected and gets into the
cell, the ribosome reads and translates the mRNA into amino acids, and
those amino acids are folded into the spike protein. Then the spike
protein activates the immune system to create immunity within the body
(steps 4-6 in the infographic).
COVID-19 Vaccine and Therapeutic Trials ACTIV-ate in West Virginia
ABOUT THE POST
The NIH-supported Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and
Vaccines partnership is coordinating nationwide clinical trials of
COVID-19 treatments and vaccines. NIGMS-funded clinical and
translational research networks are stepping up to help these trials
reach underserved areas and populations. In this post, we highlight a
network in West Virginia that involves people from rural parts of the
state in trials.
This post discusses clinical trials for COVID-19 in rural areas,
including the trials for the vaccine described in Pathways.
ACTIVITY
In the blog post, Dr. Sally Hodder says, “When folks participate in
the science, when there is good community discussion about the trial
designs and the results, then I think those populations may be more
trusting of the results.” Ask the students to think of something they
were hesitant to do at first, but once they knew the how or why it was
being done, they were more open to doing it. Then discuss why it’s
important for people from different parts of the country—including
rural populations—to participate in clinical trials. It’s not just
important for increasing the diversity of the people and locations in
the trials, but it also gets more people engaged in and understanding
the science that’s happening. Many people are hesitant to get the
COVID-19 vaccine because they don’t think the vaccines have gone
through enough testing to be safe. But often that actually means that
people don’t fully understand the clinical trials process. As a class,
discuss the four stages of clinical trials: phase I, experimental;
phase II, safety; phase III, effectiveness; and—if approved by the
FDA—phase IV, long-term safety and effectiveness (full descriptions found here). Ask the students how involving people in a clinical study could
help increase their understanding of the process and the safety of the
vaccine as well as their willingness to get vaccinated for COVID-19.
Anesthesia is a medical marvel that keeps patients from feeling pain.
If you’ve ever had a surgery or even a minor procedure, you’ve
probably benefited from it! In this post, we dive into the different
types of anesthesia, its history, the way it works, and
NIGMS-supported research on it.
ACTIVITY
Have students read the post and infographic to learn more about
anesthesia and its history and how it keeps us from feeling pain. Then
look at the list of NIGMS-funded anesthesia research at the end of the
post and engage students in class discussion, asking them which they
would study if they were an anesthesia researcher. For more advanced
exploration, divide students into groups, assigning each an
NIGMS-funded anesthesia research topic from the list. Have the groups
discuss why their topic is important to the broader scope of
physical/mental health and wellness. Then have each group share their
thoughts with the rest of the class.
Did you know that some cells in our bodies use electricity to carry
information? These nerve cells, or neurons, are fundamental for how we
interact with our environment. In this post, we explore the role of
nerve cells and describe NIGMS-supported research on them.
Nerve cells allow us to feel pain (among other things), and
anesthetics, as described in Pathways, prevent us from
feeling pain.
ACTIVITY
The post outlines how your brain detects and reacts to something
dangerous (for example, a thorn). Divide the class into groups of five
to seven students and have each group form a line from one side of the
room to the other. The students at the head of the line will act as
the brain of the group, the student at the back of the line will be
the neuron that senses the trigger, and the ones in between will be
the neurons that carry the message. Without telling the entire group,
assign each sensing neuron an environmental factor that would trigger
a reaction, like a hot stove, a missing rung on a ladder, an
unexpected step on muddy ground, a sharp edge, etc. Have the sensing
neurons “transmit” their message to the next neuron in line without
speaking or touching. Each student (neuron) in line receives the
message with their eyes (dendrites), interprets the message with their
brain (cell body, nucleus), and then transmits it to the next student
with their own body (axon). Once the message makes it to the front of
the line, the student acting as the brain can say it out loud. The
first group to successfully transmit their message to the brain wins.
Biology Beyond the Lab: Using Computers to Study Life
ABOUT THE POST
Computers and mathematical methods are increasingly important tools
for studying biology. In this post, we share the stories of a medical
doctor who aims to use these tools to predict sepsis and a computer
scientist who applies them to understand cell development pathways.
Pathways discusses
machine learning
as a possible way to discover a definitive biomarker for pain. This
post explains how scientists use computers to study biological
processes.
ACTIVITY
Before students read the post, engage them in a quick freewrite about
what they think machine learning means and how it’s used in
science. After they’ve read the post, have them compare and discuss
what they wrote with what they learned and now think of the topic.
Automating Cellular Image Analysis to Find Potential Medicines
ABOUT THE POST
Anne Carpenter, Ph.D., has developed software for analyzing images of cells that can identify signs of diseases and potential medicines to treat them. Thousands of researchers, including many at pharmaceutical companies, have adopted her computer program. Dr. Carpenter never imagined this achievement when she started her journey in science as a biologist without any computer science training.
Both this post and Pathways describes tools used for imaging microscopic biological structures such as cells.
ACTIVITY
The blog post discusses how cells affected by disease sometimes have features that visibly differ from their healthy counterparts. Dr. Carpenter’s Cell Painting tool visualizes these differing features in cells that include the nucleus, endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, plasma membrane, Golgi, and part of the cytoskeleton. Have students search for photos of these structures in our image and video gallery and/or identify a disease that affects one of these structures.
Since 1971, the Protein Data Bank has served the scientific community
as an open-access resource of 3D protein structures. To celebrate 50
years as a key resource in the community, we spotlight an educational
board game that simulates the process of determining a protein’s
structure. Knowing the structures of proteins and other biological
molecules helps scientists understand their roles in human health and
disease and leads to the discovery of new and more effective
medications.
Researchers use many imaging techniques in determining protein (and
other macromolecular) structures. Some of these techniques are
described in Pathways, and others are introduced in this
post.
ACTIVITY
After reading the post, divide students into small groups to play
PDB50: The Game
simulating how researchers identify macromolecular structures.
The glowing, twisting cells in this video look just like a bubbling
lava lamp, but they actually show a step of egg cell development.
The video was taken using a confocal laser scanning microscopy
(sometimes shortened to just “confocal microscopy”), one of the
techniques mentioned in the Pathways timeline (1970s).
ACTIVITY
Have students research what confocal microscopy is. They can start
with
our glossary definition
(also linked in the post). Then have them search our
image and video gallery
to find another cool image that was taken using this method (Search term “confocal”) and describe what they see in the image and why it’s important or
being studied.
You can also do this exercise with any of our other
Cool Images posts. Pick a type of
microscopy, a color, or a component of a cell for your students to
research and then search the image and video gallery.
Did you know that there are many kinds of microscopes? Each offers its
own advantages to researchers studying the tiny components of life,
but all of them can capture eye-catching images.
The images in this post were taken using some of the imaging
techniques described in Pathways.
DISCUSSION
Using the captions in the slideshow pictures, discuss what cell parts
or phenomena the images are showing and why scientists might be
studying them.
Through the Looking Glass: Microscopic Structures in Many Sizes
ABOUT THE POST
Microscopic structures can vary greatly in size. The largest objects
that we view through microscopes are about 10 million times larger
than the smallest!
The relative sizes in the microscopic world described in
Pathways can be difficult to conceptualize. This post
describes an interactive tool to view these relative sizes.
ACTIVITY
Use the
Cell Size and Scale interactive
supported by our
Science Education Partnership Award
program to illustrate how cells, viruses, proteins, and more measure
up. One of the largest objects on the scale is a grain of rice. Start
the lesson by giving each student a grain of rice to hold as they
think about how small each object on the scale really is. Give the
students a list of some of the items shown on the scale and ask them
to place them in order from largest to smallest. Then, either as a
group or individually, have them slide the scale from the largest
items to the smallest atom to see how well they did.
Test your knowledge of bacterial infections with this quiz, using examples from some of the scientists we’ve featured on the blog who explore new ways to fight antibiotic resistance.
This post and Pathways discuss antibiotic resistance.
ACTIVITY
Read the introduction of the post together as a class. Divide the students into groups of four, and have each student read a different post from the list at the bottom of the quiz. Then have the groups answer the quiz questions together. As a class, discuss how the groups worked together to answer the quiz questions. You can also talk about the researchers’ backgrounds and how they became scientists with questions like:
How did they know they wanted to be a scientist?
What made them choose the field of research that they’re in now?
Can you see yourself having a career like this scientist?
Microbes often form organized communities called biofilms. Some are
useful to people, but others cause disease. Many NIGMS-supported
researchers study biofilms and are developing ways to combat those
that can threaten your health.
Pathways describes antibiotic-resistant superbugs, and this
post describes biofilms, which are also antibiotic resistant.
DISCUSSION
Biofilms can form through quorum sensing. This is a complex form of
communication where individual bacteria produce chemical signals in
response to the population density around them. Other bacteria can
sense these signaling molecules to determine information about their
environment and regulate their responses.
After reading the post, discuss quorum sensing with your students
through the example of a TikTok (or other social media) trend. An
individual user creates content, just as an individual bacterium
produces a signaling molecule. Other users see that post and make
their own similar content, creating a trend. This is similar to what
happens when other bacteria sense the signaling chemicals and put
out their own in response. Social media trends don’t last long
before the next thing hits, and similarly, a bacterium must continue
to produce chemicals to communicate with other bacteria in the
quorum. You can also watch this
YouTube video on quorum sensing.
The effects of bacteria on our bodies range from helpful to life
threatening. But regardless of their relationship to us, many species
of bacteria can be surprisingly stunning.
This post shows pictures of bacteria, and Pathways is all
about bacteria and superbugs.
ACTIVITY
Have each student (or group of students) choose one of the four
bacteria shown in the post to research. (To make this activity more
difficult, have them search our
image and video gallery
for types of bacteria not found in this post.) Have them write 2-3
sentences about the bacterium, including what type of bacteria it is,
where it’s commonly found, what diseases it can cause, which of those
diseases can be treated with medicine, and what versions of
drug-resistant superbugs are known or common.
Exploring Nature’s Treasure Trove of Helpful Compounds
ABOUT THE POST
Compounds that plants, fungi, bacteria, and animals produce can
sometimes help people as well. In fact, many medicines, molecules used
in research, and other useful compounds originated in nature.
Natural products
are a source for new antibiotics that may help us fight
antibiotic-resistant bacteria and superbugs.
ACTIVITY
Ask the students if they can think of a
natural product. Caffeine is probably the natural product they’re most familiar
with, but many life-saving medicines are also natural products.
Caffeine is naturally found in tea leaves and coffee beans. When you
brew a cup of tea or coffee, you've actually extracted caffeine and
lots of other natural products out of the plant material (tea leaves
or coffee beans). When researchers want to study a natural product,
they start by extracting lots of chemicals out of the plant—like
your cup of tea—and then take that tea and further purify it to
isolate just the chemical(s) they’re looking for. This post
discusses some of the difficulties that natural product researchers
face and how they’re working to overcome them.
Pair and Share: Read the introduction paragraph as a class,
then divide students into four groups to each read one of the
sections in the article (Seaweed Empowers Neuroscience Research,
Discovering New Antibiotics, Replacing Plastic, and Advancing
Natural Products Research with Better Libraries of Microbes). Have
the groups discuss the section and come up with one sentence that
summarizes the research. Then come back together so that a
representative from each group can share their summaries.
Quiz: What Can Research Organisms Reveal About Health?
ABOUT THE POST
Research organisms such as fruit flies and mice help scientists better
understand basic biological processes and develop treatments for human
diseases. This interactive quiz tests your knowledge of these
important creatures.
Much of what we know about circadian rhythms in humans was first
discovered in research organisms.
Scientist Interview: Investigating Circadian Rhythms with Michael W.
Young
ABOUT THE POST
When circadian rhythms are disrupted—for instance, by the beginning or
ending of daylight saving time that occurs each March and November—we
often feel “off” until our bodies adjust. But for some people, this
adjustment never happens. Nobel laureate Michael W. Young, Ph.D.,
describes his current research on circadian rhythms and delayed sleep
phase disorder in a short video interview.
The scientist interviewed in this post, Dr. Michael W. Young, was
awarded the 2017 Nobel Prize for his research on circadian rhythms.
ACTIVITY
Watch the video interview as a class. Dr. Young discusses a
mutation
that can lead to delayed sleep phase disorder. Ask the class what a
mutation is (a change in a
DNA
sequence) and how it might cause a sleep disorder (our DNA is the
code that tells our bodies how to function). Use
this image
to explore how a small change in DNA can result in a physiological
change in our bodies. Compare nucleotides to letters, mRNA to those
letters typed out, amino acids to words, and the protein to a full
sentence. If you choose the wrong letter in a single word, the final
sentence probably won’t make sense. Similarly, if one of DNA’s
nucleotides
is changed, the mRNA, amino acids, and protein will end up changed.
(But thankfully, we have spell-check—and in a way, so do our cells!
DNA polymerases
have a proofreading function to prevent major DNA mutations from
occurring.)
A Tale of Tails: How Reptile Regeneration Could Help Humans
ABOUT THE POST
Thomas Lozito, Ph.D., has been fascinated by lizards since he was about 4 years old. He now researches how they regrow their tails in hopes of unlocking secrets that could ultimately improve human healing. Within the next 10 years, Dr. Lozito aims to take his research a step closer to humans by enabling a mouse to regenerate its tail.
Both this post and Pathways feature Dr. Lozito and his research on regeneration.
ACTIVITY
Have students read the blog post. It discusses how Dr. Lozito has worked with other scientists to test potential medicines. Explain to students that science is a “team sport” where many people work together within and across labs. Ask students how they think scientists who have different skills or study different topics could help one another. You may want to refer to the descriptions of scientific roles in the “Help Wanted” section of Pathways.
Make Like a Cell and Split: Comparing Mitosis and Meiosis
ABOUT THE POST
Mitosis is essential for growth and cell replacement, while meiosis
creates egg and sperm cells for reproduction. In this post, an
illustration places the two types of cell division side by side,
emphasizing their striking similarities and key differences.
Our bodies may not regenerate like some of the research organisms
described in Pathways, but they can heal and replace damaged
cells through mitosis—the subject of this post.
ACTIVITY
After students have read the post, watch these videos of yeast cells
dividing:
video 1
and
video 2. Explain that researchers have colored different parts of the
cells to allow us to see them splitting. Ask students to name a
stage of mitosis and when they saw it happen in the clips
(cytokinesis is the easiest to see, since the cells split in two).
Have them look at some of the images related to the videos (image 1,
image 2,
image 3,
image 4,
image 5) and identify cells that are in the various phases of cell
division, including interphase.
Quiz Yourself to Grow What You Know About Regeneration
ABOUT THE POST
Do you know which tissues and organs the human body can regenerate?
How about which animals can regrow entire limbs? Our quiz will test
your knowledge of regeneration and regenerative medicine.
This post quizzes how much you know about regeneration, the topic of
Pathways.
ACTIVITY
After reading Pathways, have students test their knowledge
(and probably learn a few more new facts) with this interactive
quiz.
Interview With a Scientist: Unlocking the Secrets of Animal Regeneration
With Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado
ABOUT THE POST
Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado, Ph.D., is making exciting discoveries in
the field of regenerative medicine. For the last 2 decades, NIGMS has
supported the work of his laboratory in studying flatworms to uncover
the genetic and developmental basis of regeneration. In a short video
interview, Sánchez Alvarado describes his research findings and how
they might impact our health.
Both this post and Pathways feature Alejandro Sánchez
Alvarado, Ph.D., and his work in regenerative medicine.
DISCUSSION
Watch the video interview as a class. Then have students choose a
research organism—it could be the planarian that Dr. Sánchez Alvarado uses in his
work, one from our
fact sheet, or another they’re interested in. Instruct them to research and
write a paragraph on the organism they choose. They should include
information on what the organism is, how it’s useful in studying
disease, what (if any) discoveries have been made studying it that
have shaped human health, and what benefits and limits it has over
other research organisms. (These questions are taken from the
headers of the fact sheet, so students can use it as a model for
their own writing.)
How Research Works: Understanding the Process of Science
ABOUT THE POST
Have you ever wondered how scientific discoveries are made? Scientists
follow the scientific method when they ask questions about the world
around them. They perform experiments, analyze their results, and draw
conclusions based on the results.
Pathways introduces the important role that scientists play
in understanding the world around us, and all scientists use the
scientific method as they make discoveries—which is explained in this
post.
ACTIVITY
After students have read the article, ask them if they think the
item you’ve chosen for this activity will dissolve faster in cold or
hot water. (Colorful hard candies work great, but if you don’t have
any, salt or sugar also works.) Have students think about the steps
of the scientific method outlined in the post to decide how they’d
answer the question. Instruct them to write down their hypothesis,
the techniques they’ll need to find the answer, and the evidence
they’ll collect in the process. Then, as a class, apply the process
with a demonstration to determine an answer. (You’ll need two cups,
preferably clear, one with cold and the other with hot water. Add
equal amounts of the hard candy, salt, or sugar and watch to see
which dissolves first.) Ask the students if their hypotheses were
correct and if this demonstration sparked any other questions that
they can test using the scientific method.
We also have posts highlighting some of the researchers featured in
Pathways, including Computational biologist
Melissa Wilson
and Geneticist
Michael Young.
Pathways discusses the importance of basic science, and these
posts highlight researchers who study different fields of basic
science.
DISCUSSION
Have students read one of the
Being a Scientist posts.
Then, in a class discussion, ask questions specific to that post,
such as: Did this person always want to become a scientist, or when
they were your age, did they think they’d grow up to do something
else? What training and education does this scientist have? What’s
interesting about their career path? What’s interesting about their
science? What tools or techniques does the scientist use in their
research? How is the basic science that they do related to human
health?
Select an issue from the dropdown above to view blog posts that directly
or indirectly connect to the Pathways topics along with activity
suggestions for how to use the posts as educational supplements.
Other Resources for Your Classroom
If you’re looking for other educational supplements, check out the short scientific posts in these series:
Posts comparing a word that means one thing in everyday language and another in science
