Category Archives: 2. Molecular Biology

2.1 Molecules to Metabolism

BioKnowledgy 2.1 Molecules to metabolism from Chris Paine (at Dulwich College Shangai) – taken from his fabulous blog BioKnowledgy.

Find a video lesson on this sub-topic at Dan Rott videos, or many assessment statements are covered by Stephanie Castle.

In Crash Course Biology #1 – ‘that’s why Carbon is a Tramp’, Hank introduces us to the chemistry of life:

What’s in a molecule? – The science of macaroni salad from TED-Ed (3m 15s).

2.2 Water

BioKnowledgy 2.2 Water from Chris Paine (at Dulwich College Shangai) – taken from his fabulous blog BioKnowledgy.

Find a video lesson on this sub-topic at Dan Rott videos, or many assessment statements are covered by Stephanie Castle (with more being added all the time).

Here is a short, simple animation to show hydrogen bonding between water molecules.

An excellent video from Mr Andersen at Bozeman Hugh School: Water, a polar molecule:

How polarity makes water behave strangely – a 4m TED-Ed video from Christina Kleinberg.

In Crash Course Biology #2: Water – Liquid Awesome, Hank teaches us why water is one of the most fascinating and important substances in the universe.

2.3 Carbohydrates & Lipids

BioKnowledgy 2.3 Carbohydrates and lipids from Chris Paine (at Dulwich College Shangai) – taken from his fabulous blog BioKnowledgy.

Find a video lesson on this sub-topic at Dan Rott videos, or many assessment statements are covered by Stephanie Castle (with more being added all the time).

A lovely site about polymers that includes starch and cellulose (with a nice animation), and hers’s a short, simple animation to show glucose in water. Finally, here is an excellent lesson from TED-Ed on on what is fat? – in a bit more detail than we need.

2.4 Proteins

BioKnowledgy 2.4 Proteins from Chris Paine (at Dulwich College Shangai) – taken from his fabulous blog BioKnowledgy. 

Find a video lesson on this sub-topic at Dan Rott videos, or many assessment statements are covered by Stephanie Castle (with more being added all the time).

Short, simple animations to show protein organization & protein folding

Click on ‘Protein Folding’ to see an Interactive Animation from Wiley or here’s a fantastic animated tutorial from McGraw Hill Education on Protein Structure.

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2.5 Enzymes

BioKnowledgy 2.5 Enzymes from Chris Paine (at Dulwich College Shangai) – taken from his fabulous blog BioKnowledgy.

Find a video lesson on this sub-topic at Dan Rott videos, or many assessment statements are covered by Stephanie Castle (with more being added all the time).

An animated, narrated tutorial on protein denaturation (frying an egg) – from Sinauer Associates. And Mr W. sings ‘Enzymes!’:

Mr Bozeman describes Enzymes:

Short, simple animations about enzymes to show conformational change/strain, proximity and orientation, chemical interaction, biochemical pathway & allosteric enzyme.

Here are some fantastic animated tutorials from McGraw Hill Education – how enzymes worka biochemical pathway  &  feedback inhibition of biochemical pathways.
Wiley have a number of Interactive Animations about enzymes, just click on ‘Catalysis’ or ‘Enzyme Specificity’ in the link. They also have ‘Introduction to Metabolism.

2.6 Structure of DNA & RNA

BioKnowledgy 2.6 Structure of DNA and RNA from Chris Paine.

What is DNA? – Stated Clearly (5m 24s):

DNA structure (a very simple animation in 1m 20s):

Find a video lesson on this sub-topic at Dan Rott videos, or many assessment statements are covered by Stephanie Castle (with more being added all the time).

An animated tutorial from McGraw Hill Education – DNA Structure & some excellent interactive animations & tutorials on DNA – just click on ‘Tour the Basics’ & ‘Build a DNA molecule’.

DNA Structure – another vid (in 3m 6s) and here is Mr W’s DNA, fantastic! rap.

How to draw a molecule of DNA (thank you Stephanie Castle):

2.7 DNA Replication, Transcription & Translation

BioKnowledgy 2.7 DNA replication, transcription and translation from Chris Paine (at Dulwich College Shangai) – taken from his fabulous blog BioKnowledgy.

Find a video lesson on this sub-topic at Dan Rott videos, or many assessment statements are covered by Stephanie Castle (with more being added all the time).

DNA REPLICATION

A short, simple animation to show DNA replication & here’s an animated tutorial from McGraw Hill Education – structural basis of DNA Replication

In Crash Course Biology #10 – DNA Structure & Replication, Hank introduces us to that wondrous molecule DNA and explains how it replicates itself in our cells.

PCR (the POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION)

For the Polymerase Chain Reaction – click on ‘PCR’ to see an Interactive Animation from Wiley or here for two animated tutorials from McGraw Hill Education – PCR reactions & PCR. Or why not use PCR yourself in a Virtual Lab from Learn.Genetics (labs on PCR & DNA extraction). Or there’s a 4m video here or PCR from the DNA Learning Center (1m 28s):

The PCR song:

MESELSON & STAHL experiment (proof of SEMI-CONSERVATIVE replication)

Great animation from McGraw-Hill.

TRANSCRIPTION & TRANSLATION 

Transcription & translation, a 2m 51s animation:

Short, simple animations to show transcription & translation

Fantastic animated tutorials from McGraw Hill Education – Simple Gene Expression & Protein Synthesis

This will take you step-by-step through transcription & translation and here is a translation animation – short and simple.

In Crash Course Biology #11 – Transcription & Translation, Hank imagines himself breaking into the Hot Pockets factory to steal their secret recipes and instruction manuals in order to help us understand how the processes known as DNA transcription and translation allow our cells to build proteins.

2.8 Cell Respiration

BioKnowledgy 2.8 Cell respiration from Chris Paine.

Find a video lesson on this sub-topic at Dan Rott videos, or many assessment statements are covered by Stephanie Castle (with more being added all the time).

In Crash Course Biology #7 – ATP & Respiration, in which Hank does some push-ups for science and describes the “economy” of cellular respiration and the various processes whereby our bodies create energy in the form of ATP.

2.9 Photosynthesis

BioKnowledgy 2.9 Photosynthesis from Chris Paine.

A good, general overview of Photosynthesis (4m 52s):

In Crash Course Biology #8 – Photosynthesis, Hank explains, well, photosynthesis.

The simple story of photosynthesis and food from TED-Ed. Find a video lesson on this sub-topic at Dan Rott videos, or many assessment statements are covered by Stephanie Castle (with more being added all the time).

COMPULSORY PRACTICAL 4 – separation of photosynthetic pigments by chromatography

One way to do it is this: chlorophyll chromatography and an alternative method includes how to calculate Rf values. Hopefully the final result will be this. An alternative method:

 SAPS sheet 10 – TLC