November 15, 2005 (Vol. 25, No. 20)
URL:
http://www.thetech.org/exhibits/online/ugenetics
Rating:
Strong Points: Educational material
Weak Points: Could be deeper
Summary:
It’s interesting what you get when you scratch the surface of a site and look for what is hidden inside. The main body of this “techie,” science-based site had, as its main heading, a banner for Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory movie when I visited it. Deep in the bowels of the site was located the Understanding Genetics component I describe here. The relationship between the two is unclear and unimportant for our purposes. Understanding Genetics is an education-based site aimed at general audiences to inform them about basic principles of genetics. Features include basic background information (“what is a gene?”, “how do genes work?”, “when genes go bad”) and a popular column entitled “Ask a Geneticist”. There’s a lot to like here, particularly for scientists thinking about how to teach genetics to undergrads.
