By Cheyenne Jolly, Fourth Grade Teacher
Fourth graders hosted Dr. Trace Jolly from the University of Utah for an upbeat, hands-on look at the world of zebrafish genetics. Why zebrafish? These tiny tropical superstars serve as powerhouse model organisms to help scientists answer big questions about human development, behavior, and even cancer! We invited students across several grade levels to join us in observing these important research animals, which share many genetic similarities with humans. Our future biologists stayed busy asking and answering great questions about how genes control how we grow and behave. The highlight was definitely observing live zebrafish samples and embryos, in tubes and under the microscope, to see exactly how they develop through their life cycle. We even discussed the high-tech ways scientists can edit DNA to solve the world’s biggest biological mysteries.
