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Inside DNA: A Genomic Revolution
A new interactive exhibition in Explore, open until 5 September 2008

For information about the exhibition's tour, or hiring Inside DNA, please click here.

Identity         Crime         Ancestry         Evolution         Health         Drugs         Mutation         Development

Inside DNA: A Genomic Revolution is all about you… your health, your identity and your ancestry. It is a unique new exhibition investigating developments in the fast-moving field of human genomics, and the ethical issues that they raise.

Inside DNA is your opportunity to explore the developments and hear from leading researchers. What are their views and experiences of genomic research? And what impact will their research have on you and on your family’s future?

Designed to provoke questions and stimulate debate, Inside DNA will encourage you to explore issues such as the role of our genes and environment in our health, identity and evolution. It delves into ethical questions such as whether genetic testing will lead to discrimination, who will benefit most from genetic medicines, and the role of DNA databases.

Click here to see a video of the exhibition!

Give your views
Inside DNA is also a chance for you to put your own views across and to influence policy making and future governmental decisions. In the Dialogue Zone, your feedback and comments on a variety of topics – from DNA databases to over-the-counter genetic test kits – will be passed on to the Human Genetics Commission, the Government’s advisory body on new developments in human genetics.
Issues raised by recent research include:

• Should the National DNA database hold everyone’s genetic information on it, for police to access whenever a crime is committed? Who else should have access to the information in a genetic database?

• Who should be offered predictive genetic tests, eg for breast cancer? Would you want to know if you were at higher risk of developing certain diseases?

• Should individuals be held responsible for illnesses they failed to avoid by ignoring lifestyle recommendations?

• Should we be able to screen embryos that carry certain characteristics or diseases?

• If we discovered that mutations in a particular gene could influence people’s behaviour, should we test for these mutations?

• Which genetic tests should be offered on the internet or over-the-counter?

Inside DNA is free with a ticket to Explore.
Related events and activities can be found on our What’s On page.

Inside DNA was developed by At-Bristol on behalf of Ecsite-uk, with funding from the Wellcome Trust and support from the Sanger Institute.

Education groups

Inside DNA is an exciting new exhibition that helps make the invisible visible, allowing students to explore the fascinating field of human genetics and its impact on our lives – including our evolution, our health and our identity.

Students will examine real DNA, explore the effects of variation and test and compare themselves with other visitors. Real-life scenarios, including genetic testing and DNA databases, encourage students to engage with the ethical issues, and enter into the debate, surrounding this fast-moving and important area of scientific research.

Curriculum links
Inside DNA supports the curriculum at KS3, KS4 and Post-16, including aspects of How Science Works. It is particularly relevant for students of Science, Citizenship, PSHE, Applied Science, Biology, Human Biology and Science for Public Understanding.

Teacher resources
For supporting classroom resources please click here.

Workshops
Supporting lab and debate activities, including Forensics and Polymerase Chain Reaction workshops, are available for pre-booked groups; click here for further details on Explore’s workshop programme.

Planning a visit
Click here for full school visit information.
 

The exhibition zones

Genetics: How is our current knowledge of the structure, function and interactions of the human genome changing our understanding of human biology? How much DNA do we have? And how can different genetic mutations affect an organism?

Identity: The study of contemporary genetics is helping to identify similarities and differences between us, but what are the personal and forensic applications of this knowledge? In this zone you can discover how many other visitors to the exhibition have the same genetic traits as you, or investigate a murder by profiling the evidence at the crime scene!

Health: There is great potential for applying contemporary genetics in medicine in order to help us better identify, understand and treat disease. Find out about the tests available to screen for genetic disorders, or discuss the ethical questions raised by pre-implantation genetic diagnosis.

Evolution: How did humans evolve, and what are the similarities and differences between ourselves and other primates? Contemporary genetics is improving our understanding of these issues all the time. Discover the distribution of people across the UK with your surname, and compare actual fossil casts, brain volume, communication and DNA sequence of chimpanzees, humans and Neanderthals.

Dialogue zone: This is your opportunity to give your views on the ethical issues raised by the exhibition. Alongside a programme of presenter-led activities and ‘meet the expert’ sessions (click here for details) are the News and Views pods, which allow visitors to find out the latest news on genomic research, vote on a variety of questions, and leave their thoughts behind. There is also an area with a series of questions on issues being discussed by the government’s advisory body, the Human Genetics Commission. The results of these questions will be compiled and sent to the HGC at regular intervals, to feed into their discussions.

A new interactive exhibition in Explore, open until 5 September 2008.