Science in the news - the effects of knowing your genes
Last updated: 15/11/2023
Contributor: Jane R
Can simply having information about a genetic health risk actually alter a person's chances of developing the condition?
In this engaging classroom resource, student read a summary of an online news story based on a scientific study about the effect of knowing your genes.
They then answer a series of questions to check their understanding and consider the impact of the experiment, its variables and its reliability.
Perfect for encouraging lots of on-topic, scientific classroom talk and improving students' literary skills!
Example questions from the classroom worksheet:
- How many people took part in the study?
- What did the scientists measure?
- Which genes did they try to find in the DNA test results?
- What was different about the experiment in week 2?
- Describe the effect on a person once they believed they had the 'protective' obesity gene.
- What was unusual about this result?
- How did knowing they had the 'bad' exercise gene affect a participant’s behaviour?
- The human population is estimated to be 7.7 billion people. Did the scientists have enough people participating in this experiment to make it representative of the human population? Can you trust their results?
- How would you make the results of this experiment more reliable?
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