2010 National DNA Day Online Chatroom Transcript

This is just one question from an archive of the National DNA Day Moderated Chat held in April 2010. 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.

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WHAT CAUSES DNA DEFECTS      Barry Starr, Ph.D.: I run a program out of Stanford's Department of Genetics where I train science graduate students how to communicate science to the public. I do this by having the students run fun hands on genetics activities at The Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose and by having them answer people's genetics questions online at our Understanding Genetics website. DNA mutations can happen in a couple of different ways. Sometimes when our cells copy the DNA, they make a mistake that doesn't get fixed. DNA mutations can also come from damage from the outside. Skin cancer, for example, happens when sunlight mutates the DNA in skin. Flint Northern High School in GA (9th grade student)

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