Unit C: Disease Defence and Human Health

Snake venom can be dangerous for your circulatory system, nervous system or muscular system. But it can also be very useful in medicine.

Be a biochemist! Learn how to extract DNA from an onion and find out what DNA looks like.

Explore the chemistry behind why bananas turn brown. Can chemistry also help prevent this?

Become a pro at washing dishes! Learn how the chemical structure of detergent makes it perfect for attracting grease and grime.

Gamma rays might make you think of cancer, harmful radiation or superheroes. But gamma rays have lots of uses: food safety, manufacturing and even medicine!

Medical biotechnology allows scientists to make changes to the genomes of living things. What are the pros and cons of having access to techniques like these?

Everything and everyone ages. But scientists have made discoveries about our cells and circulatory and immune systems that could potentially one day be used to increase human lifespans.

This backgrounder explains the different ways that cells repair damage to DNA.

In 2013, many Europeans learned their beef lasagnas were actually made of horse meat. Learn about food fraud, and how a Canadian invention can help detect it.

Do you like butter? Find out how easy it is to make!

When a person has cancer, CAR-T Therapy uses their own cells to destroy the cancer cells in their body.

Microbes are everywhere, even in your digestive tract. Some of these microbes are helpful, and some aren’t.

Learn the basics of how DNA can be extracted from cells.

This backgrounder explains the effects of radiation on cells and DNA.