STEM Activity: DNA Animal Mashup

Deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, is the molecule that carries genetic information inside all living organisms. DNA is made of two linked strands that wind around each other to resemble a twisted ladder. This shape is known as a double helix, and it contains the genes that give each of us unique characteristics.

In the fun DNA mashup activity below, design your own animals using the provided DNA code book!

Materials Needed:

• Crafting materials (recyclables, fabric scraps, buttons, pipe cleaners, construction paper, glue, tape, etc.)
• Die
• Markers
• Paper
• Pencil

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Print out or write down the information on the Dice Answer Key and DNA Code Book found below. Be sure to keep the features listed in the DNA Code Book covered until you reach step 4!
    
2. Roll your die. Using the Dice Answer Key, match the number you rolled with the corresponding animal. This is your base animal.
   
   Dice Answer Key
   1. Fox
   2. Goat
   3. Axolotl
   4. Eagle
   5. Whale
   6. Tiger
       
3. Using the DNA Code Book, choose one to three codes and write them down.
    
4. Look at the features in the DNA Code Book to translate your three-letter code(s) and see which feature(s) to add to your base animal.
   
   DNA Code Book
   Highlight (on a computer) or select (on mobile) the space next to each code below to reveal the corresponding feature.
   • ACA wings
   • CTT large eyes
   • TAT whiskers
   • ATC shell
   • CAC tentacles­­
   • TCA scales
   • AAC antennae
   • TCC color-changing camouflage
   • CTC hooves
   • ACC feathers
   • TAC gills
   • CCC sharp teeth
   • TTA tusks
   • AAA feathers
   • CTA floppy ears
   • ACT antlers
      
5. Make your own animal mashup!
   • Using your craft supplies, create a model of your animal.
   • Write a story about the new animal and what it would be like to meet it.
   • Draw the new animal and create a trading card for it. List its top three features, its habitat and what it eats.
   • Repeat steps 1-4 and make more animal mashups!
      
6. To keep the fun going, make your own list of cool animal features and then give each feature a unique three-letter code using the letters A, C and T in different combinations.

What Are We Discovering?

This activity is a great way to introduce genetics and DNA! It represents the generalized process of how different animal features come from codes in their genes.

Genes are made up of DNA, which is like an instruction book for how to make the different parts of an animal or plant. The instructions, however, are written in a code using a combination of three letters — A, C and T. Each three-letter group makes one codon, and each codon codes for one amino acid. Amino acids are the body’s basic building blocks. After the codons are translated into amino acids, the amino acids are assembled into necklace-like strands of proteins. Then, the proteins are folded and joined together to form different physical features, like a claw, a fingernail or a suction cup on a tentacle.

Understanding DNA and genetic codes can have lifesaving benefits. In 2023, National Inventors Hall of Fame^® Inductees and Nobel Prize winners Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna invented CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, which works like a multi-tool that swaps any of the letters of DNA code for another with great precision. Their invention opens the possibility of helping to cure many diseases with known genetic sequences.

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