Genes Decoded: DNA, Heredity and You

What's inside

1. Level 1: Cells, DNA and Why We're HereFree
   You'll see how your body is built from trillions of cells, learn that most of them carry DNA as a set of instructions, and understand why this course is education and not medical advice.
2. Level 2: The Double Helix and Who Discovered ItFree
   We'll picture DNA as a twisted ladder with A-T and C-G base pairs as its rungs, then follow how it was discovered, including the key role of Rosalind Franklin's X-ray work.
3. Level 3: How DNA Copies Itself
   You'll learn how a cell unzips the double helix and uses each strand as a template to build an exact copy before it divides, and how errors are caught and repaired.
4. Level 4: From Gene to Protein: The Genetic Code
   We'll follow how a gene's message is transcribed into RNA and translated, three letters at a time, into the proteins that do most of the work in your body.
5. Level 5: Chromosomes and the Human Genome
   You'll see how DNA is packed into chromosomes, how humans usually carry 23 pairs, and what the Human Genome Project showed about how much of our DNA codes for proteins.
6. Level 6: Mendel's Peas: Dominant and Recessive
   We'll use Gregor Mendel's pea experiments to see how alleles pass from parents to children, and how dominant and recessive versions decide the trait that shows up.
7. Level 7: Sex-Linked Inheritance
   You'll learn how genes on the X chromosome are inherited differently in males and females, and why conditions such as red-green colour blindness and haemophilia show up more often in males.
8. Level 8: Most Traits Are Polygenic
   We'll move past single-gene examples to see how traits like height and most common diseases come from many genes, each with a small effect, working together with the environment.
9. Level 9: Mutations, Variation and 'A Gene For'
   You'll find out how changes in DNA arise, why most are harmless, how they create the variation between people, and why news headlines about 'a gene for' something usually oversimplify.
10. Level 10: Epigenetics Without the Hype
    We'll look at how chemical marks such as DNA methylation switch genes on and off without changing the DNA sequence, and separate the solid science from the overblown claims.
11. Level 11: Evolution and Natural Selection
    You'll see how inherited variation, competition and differences in who survives and reproduces change populations over generations, with examples from humans and other species.
12. Level 12: DNA Evidence and Family History
    We'll explore how shared DNA reveals family relationships, from paternity and forensic matching to tracing lines through Y-chromosome and mitochondrial DNA.
13. Level 13: Consumer DNA Tests: Limits and Privacy
    You'll learn what at-home genetic and ancestry tests actually measure, why ancestry percentages are estimates, what health reports can miss, and what happens to your data.
14. Level 14: Genetic Conditions and Screening
    We'll outline the main types of genetic conditions and how screening and testing work, from newborn heel-prick tests to carrier and prenatal screening, and the role of genetic counselling.
15. Level 15: CRISPR and Gene Therapy
    You'll learn how gene therapy delivers working genes and how CRISPR acts like molecular find-and-replace, with real approved treatments as examples.
16. Level 16: The Ethics of Knowing and Editing
    We'll weigh the big ethical questions in genetics, from germline editing and 'designer babies' to genetic discrimination, consent and fair access.
17. Level 17: Final Challenge: Genes Decoded Exam
    You'll put the whole course together in a full review, from DNA structure and copying through inheritance, variation and evolution to ancestry testing, medicine and gene-editing ethics.

Access

The first 2 levels are free with a free account. Every level, the podcast edition and the AI tutor come with All Access at £4.99/month or any Creator plan — see pricing.

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