It's Okay to Be Smart: Using Gene Editing to Repaint Butterfly Wings

11 minutes 12 seconds

Now Playing As: Captioned (English) (change)

Butterfly metamorphosis is still a bit of a mystery. What happens inside a chrysalis to turn a caterpillar into a beautifully painted butterfly? In this episode, host Joe Hanson interviews Dr. Arnaud Martin, who uses the CRISPR genetic modification technology to learn about how genes build butterfly wings. Part of the "It's Okay to Be Smart" series.

Media Details

Runtime: 11 minutes 12 seconds

Topic: Science
Subtopic: Biology, Insects, Science Experiments
Grade/Interest Level: 10 - 12
Standards:

Release Year: 2019
Producer/Distributor: PBS Digital Studios
Series: It's Okay to Be Smart

Many hot air balloons taking off into the sky.

Still image from: It's Okay to Be Smart: The Most Extreme Life Forms on Earth…And Beyond?

Different math equations and graphs are drawn, with a butterfly as the backdrop.

Sixteen eyeballs, each with different eye color. Caption: Martin-Schultz scale.

A group of animals, a gorilla, a rhino, a lemur cat, and a scaled lizard.

Seven different butterflies, where four are placed at the corners facing the butterfly at the center and two at either side of the central butterfly.

An animal with the body of a lion, an extra goat head on its back, and a snake instead of a tail. Caption: Chimera.

A view of Moon in the dark sky. Caption: Maria, Latin for seas, and Sea of Tranquility, Mare Tranquillitatis.

A star filled night sky. Caption: P B S.

Sunlight is shining through in a forest with large number of trees.