Lessons

• 

  Skin: The Behavior and Health Connection

  6-8  
  In this lesson, students become better aware of how their personal behavior and the environment can have a considerable impact on their health in general, particularly the health of their skin.
• 

  Cancer Risks

  9-12  
  In this lesson students examine environmental and hereditary factors that increase the chance of developing cancer.
• 

  The Demographics of Mortality

  9-12  
  In this lesson, students use the Internet to explore population distribution and survivorship curves.
• 

  The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

  9-12  
  In this lesson, students explore the issue of ethics in medical research and, in particular, the issue of informed consent, in the context of Henrietta Lacks and the HeLa cells.
• 

  Skin Cancer 1: Exposing Healthy Skin to the Sun

  9-12  |  Interactive
  In this lesson, students develop an understanding of the science behind keeping skin healthy.
• 

  Skin Cancer 2: Types, Prevention, and Detection

  9-12  |  Interactive
  In this lesson, students develop an understanding of skin cancer and its different types, how it can be detected, and how it can be prevented.
• 

  Sun & Skin

  9-12  |  Interactive
  In this lesson, students will discuss what they already know about the impact sun exposure has on their skin and what they typically do to protect themselves, if anything.
• 

  Sunburn, Sunscreen, and Cancer

  9-12  
  In this lesson, students explore the link between exposure to the sun's ultraviolet radiation and the chance of getting a sunburn.
• 

  Sun, Natural Selection, and Skin Color

  6-8  
  In this lesson, students explore how the sun’s intensity at different latitudes has contributed to variations in human skin color.
• 

  Who Gets Sick?

  9-12  
  In this lesson, students learn that disease is influenced by genetic factors. They also learn one’s likelihood of inheriting the genes for a particular disease is linked to ancestral makeup—to the particular branches of the human family tree from which one descends.

Tools

• 

  Not an Old Person's Disease

  9-12  |  Website
  This resource introduces students to the genetic basis of cancer development through a case study.
• 

  Peering Inside the Body

  6-12  |  Interactive
  This site describes the sophisticated tools and techniques used in medical imaging including the PET scan, X ray, angiography, ultrasound, and CT Scan.
• 

  SCI: Skin Cancer Investigation

  6-12  |  Interactive
  This interactive gives students the opportunity to learn about skin cancer diagnosis and prevention.
• 

  Your Health: The Science Inside

  6-12  |  Website
  This booklet, from the Science Inside series, explores biomedical research and how far health and scientific research has come in the last 150 years.

Science Updates

• 

  Astronaut Health Risks

  6-12  |  Audio
  Astronauts on long-term space missions may face health risks that their predecessors didn't have to worry about. These Science Update reports describe two of them.
• 

  Cancer & Diabetes Resistance

  6-12  |  Audio
  A rare genetic mutation makes people very short, but also resistant to cancer and diabetes.
• 

  Cancer-Sniffing Dogs

  6-12  |  Audio
  Dogs are often used to sniff out everything from illegal drugs to explosives. But new research shows that they can also smell cancer.
• 

  Cell Phone Medicine Update

  6-12  |  Audio
  Using mobile phones for medical purposes, a new frontier when we reported on it in 2008, has become a huge field.
• 

  Cells in Reverse

  6-12  |  Audio
  Even all the plastic surgeons in Hollywood can’t turn back the hands of time. But scientists recently found a way to rewind a seemingly irreversible biological process.
• 

  Diagnostic Microchip

  6-12  |  Audio
  Many diseases don't develop noticeable symptoms until they've already done considerable damage. That's why doctors would like to get a closer look at the first signs of disease: tiny changes in the way our cells communicate with each other. In this Science Update, you’ll hear about an innovative plan to get closer to those early distress signals.
• 

  Immune System Passports

  6-12  |  Audio
  Researchers have successfully copied a molecule that protects our bodies from our own immune systems.
• 

  Night Lights

  6-12  |  Audio
  In this Science Update, hear why bright nighttime lights could also be bad for women's health.
• 

  Proteome

  6-12  |  Audio
  In this Science Update, you’ll hear about a group that’s working to unravel the mystery of how human genes generate such a large number of proteins.
• 

  Sniffing Out Cancer

  6-12  |  Audio
  A previous Science Update examined how dogs can detect cancer with their noses. Now those dogs have inspired new technology that tests for skin cancer based on odorants given off by the skin.
• 

  Tissue Regeneration

  6-12  |  Audio
  In this Science Update, hear how newts have inspired a new technique for regenerating mammalian tissue.
• 

  Urban Greening

  6-12  |  Audio
  Strategically placed grass, ivy, and other greenery can significantly improve air quality in urban centers.
• 

  UV Addiction

  6-12  |  Audio
  UV light may have a drug-like effect, leading to addiction and even withdrawal symptoms.
• 

  3D Tissue

  6-12  |  Audio
  3D scaffolding in cells helps scientists understand a patient’s cancer cells and personalize treatments.

Collections

• 

  Exercise and Nutrition

  K-12  
  This collection has resources to help teach your students about various aspects of obesity, healthy eating, and exercise.
• 

  Health Literacy

  K-12  
  Science NetLinks and AAAS have developed a number of resources that will help you teach your students about health, medicine, and healthy living.

Videos

• 2013 Breakthrough of the Year

  6-12  |  Video
  Science Magazine has named cancer immunotherapy the 2013 Breakthrough of the Year.

• Nanomaterials

  9-12  |  Video
  In this segment of Material Marvels, Dr. Ainissa Ramirez demonstrates how materials behave strangely when they are nanosize—about 1/100,000 the thickness of your hair.

• Top Ten Breakthroughs of 2013

  6-12  |  Video
  Watch a video of Science Magazine's 2013 scientific Breakthrough of the Year & the nine runners-up, ranging from transparent brains to exploding stars.