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Blood Type

 

By Dr. Jennifer Doherty and Dr. Ingrid Waldron, Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, CC-BY-NC 4.0.

 

In this minds-on, hands-on activity, students learn the genetics and immunobiology of the ABO blood type system. Students use simple chemicals to simulate blood type tests and then carry out genetic analyses to determine whether hospital staff accidentally switched two babies born on the same day. This activity reinforces student understanding that genes code for proteins which influence an organism’s characteristics and Punnett squares summarize how meiosis and fertilization result in inheritance. Students also learn the concept of codominance.