Will survival of the fittest be replaced by designer babies and eugenics in the near future? The technology exists now, but scientists still debate how to best use it. The future of the human race depends on the decisions made, but no pressure! 

Concepts

humans, evolution, biotechnology, artificial selection

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Debate the ethics of designer babies
• Discover what CRISPR is currently being used for in your country

Classroom Considerations

• Relies on prior knowledge of natural selection and random mutation to understand unnatural selection and nonrandom mutation
• The final of four videos on human ancestry as part of a larger playlist exploring biology
  

• This video is hosted on YouTube

Pros

• Discusses current technology and future applications
• Provides closed captioning in English and French for ease of note taking
• Requires very little class time

Cons

• None

Common Core

SL.6.2 SL.7.2 SL.8.2 SL.9-10.2 SL.11-12.2 RST.6-8.4 RST.9-10.4 RST.11-12.4