2012 National DNA Day Online Chatroom Transcript

This is just one question from an archive of the National DNA Day Moderated Chat held in April 2012. The NHGRI Director and many genomics experts from across NHGRI took questions from students, teachers and the general public on topics ranging from basic genomic research, to the genetic basis of disease, to ethical questions about genetic privacy.

12
How old were you when you first started to get interested in DNA?
     Donna Krasnewich, M.D., Ph.D.: I am a Program Director at the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). I am knowledgeable in diseases resulting from inborn errors of metabolism. I graduated from college in 1977 and took a course my Senior year on lambda phage. This class discussed very early work on understanding genetics and manipulating DNA. This is a bit off the mark for children growing up today. There are great ways to explain genetics and DNA to even very young children. Not only will it help them to understand themselves but also, hopefully, it will get them excited about science. We need more children thrilled with science....there is still so much to learn.
McDowell Intermediate High School in PA (10th grade student)

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