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The Making of the Fittest: The Birth and Death of Genes

13 minutes 9 seconds

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Close up of a small, spiny, translucent fish. Caption: The fish absorb enough oxygen from the sea

For life to survive, it must adapt and readapt to an ever-changing Earth. The discovery of the Antarctic icefish has provided an example of adaptation in an environment both hostile and abundant, where the birth of new genes and the death of old ones have played crucial roles. Researchers Bill Detrich, Christina Cheng, and Art DeVries have pinpointed the genetic changes that enable icefish to thrive without hemoglobin and red blood cells and to avoid freezing in the icy ocean.

Media Details

Runtime: 13 minutes 9 seconds

Graphic of a strand of DNA with the C-G-A-T protein sequences. Caption: A mutation is a change in the chemical letters
The Making Of The Fittest
Episode 1
10 minutes 24 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
Close up of a small, spiny, translucent fish. Caption: The fish absorb enough oxygen from the sea
The Making Of The Fittest
Episode 2
13 minutes 9 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
Magnified view of red, spherical objects. Caption: Then he tested for the sickle cell character.
The Making Of The Fittest
Episode 3
14 minutes 3 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
Two almost identical fish. One is larger and has an extra fin on the bottom of its body. Below each fish is a strand of DNA with the same section highlighted. Caption: changes in form are ultimately due to changes in genes.
The Making Of The Fittest
Episode 4
15 minutes 26 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
People wrapped in cloth holding walking sticks, herding a large herd of bovine. Caption: people started domesticating animals for food,
The Making Of The Fittest
Episode 5
14 minutes 56 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
 A large bird flying through the sky. Spanish captions.
The Making Of The Fittest
Episode 6
10 minutes 29 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
Blood cells flowing through a vein. Spanish captions.
The Making Of The Fittest
Episode 7
14 minutes 6 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12