STORY LINKS: Brilliant Bacteria

The Pitfalls of Genetic Modification

Try to find the best way to progress using genetic modification. The main goal of the game is to acquaint pupils with the possible dangers that can be caused by careless use of the crispr cas9 method.

Age Group: 11-12 years

Duration: approx. 30 minutes

Biomimicry Connection:

One of the most important contemporary discoveries of science is the CRISPR cas9 genome editing method. It is fully inspired by the way some bacteria edit genes. It has an incredible potential of use, but also a number of risks.

Activity Details:

Tools and Materials

  • Scenario cards (Resouce 1) and risk cards (Resource 2) printed.
  • School desks
  • Bell or something for sound signal
Resource 1 - scenario cards
Resource 2 - risk cards

Description

Inspiration in bacteria have provided us an amazing opportunity to change the instructions (DNA) for everything alive - plants, animals and humans. In this activity, pupils become research teams for a new innovation using DNA, trying to find a solution as quickly as possible. However, they may also encounter various (more or less expected) complications on the way, which can slow down or even completely reverse their desired progress.

  1. Divide the pupils into groups and arrange desks according to figure 1 below.
  2. Use a bell or other signal to start each round, shuffling the card deck beforehand.
  3. Ask pupils in each team to agree among themselves which scenario they will choose (see Resource 1), and then go through a labyrinth prepared from benches (see fig.1)
  4. At each intersection, invite teams to choose one of two options:
    • a safer way is a detour - thorough research and testing, two rounds are needed to pass.
    • the risky path goes straight – one round is enough to pass, but each team must draw one of the prepared risk cards before passing.
  5. Ring the bell (or other signal) to start each round.
Figure1

1st crossroads – FAST GROWING, RESILIENT LIVESTOCK (developing progress)

Risk cards:

  • Success. Keep going.
  • Fast-growing animals can no longer maintain their bones, and therefore they often break. Miss two rounds.
  • Livestock are growing faster, but their nutritional value has decreased. Miss one round.

2nd crossroads - UNDEMANDING PEST-RESISTANT CROPS (developing progress)

Risk cards:

  • Success. Keep going.
  • Unexpected negative effects on all species of insects - not only on pests. Miss three rounds.
  • Emergence of super resistant weeds which are now starting to spread. Miss four rounds.
  • New crop varieties are quite expensive, only large agricultural corporations can afford them, not small farmers. Miss one round.
  • Unexpected health effects on patients appear. Miss two rounds.

3rd crossroads - CURE OF HEREDITARY DISEASES IN HUMANS (developing progress)

Risk cards:

  • Success. Keep going.
  • Other health problems appear in some cured patients. Go back to the beginning.
  • It is still very expensive, and therefore only rich people can afford it. This injustice leads to people's dissatisfaction. This is not the right progress. Miss one round. (to try to make your discovery more accessible to everyone.)
  • More and more cases are starting to occur when patients, instead of medical interventions that save lives or health, have their offspring needlessly improved, for example, to be excellent at sport. This is how "human mutants" are created. Go back to the 2nd crossroads.