The purpose of this module is to teach the student about the CRISPR/Cas9 System.  We decided to present the CRISPR/Cas9 System, because it gives a very interesting glimpse of the complexity of the world most of us never think about, and because it may be impacting our lives in the very near future.

Please watch the TED talk presented by Dr. Doudna to give you an overview of the system she helped develop.

 

While Dr. Doudna tries to convey the excitement and simultaneous concern of the scientific community about this new tool and does give a very brief overview of the system, she doesn’t go into much detail of how the system actually works.

Since it is very likely that a good understanding of this system is just outside the Zone of Proximal Development for most individuals visiting this page, we have decided to try using some of the methods developed by Lev Vygotsky to help you bridge that gap.

What follows is an attempt to give you a “Crash Course in Molecular Biology.”  The aim is to give you enough background knowledge to be able to understand the CRISPR/Cas9 System.

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Let us begin with a brief Formative Assessment:
(Your answers will determine which parts of the tutorial you will be asked to complete, so please do not guess)