DNA Detectives
A cell has DNA damage. What 2 things might happen next (in order)?
Checkpoints → Repair OR Apoptosis
Why are cancer cells like “rule-breakers” in society?
Ignore rules/checkpoints → divide anyway
Which cell is the hero during healing? (Stem cell or neuron?)
Stem cell = regrowth
Why do sprinters have more mitochondria in their leg cells?
More ATP for fast energy
HeLa cells helped which famous medical milestone in the last decade?
COVID-19
Name the small sacs that transport materials like proteins and waste around the cell
Vesicles
You an enormous, dark nuclei under a microscope — guilty or innocent?
“Guilty” — sign of cancerous changes
Thanos snaps… half your cells vanish. Which adaptation might remaining tissue undergo?
Hyperplasia
Astronauts must exercise in space because muscles can ___?
Atrophy
Give one modern rule that fixes the problem in the Henrietta Lacks case
Informed consent
Explain in one sentence why chromatin must condense into chromosomes before mitosis
Prevents tangling + ensures equal division
Act out what happens if spindle fibres fail during metaphase
Chromosomes do not separate - mutation risk
Wolverine heals fast. Which two cell processes are enhanced?
Mitosis + Apoptosis (damaged cells removed)
If someone stops wearing a cast, how does bone recover? (2 ways)
Hyperplasia + hypertrophy restore size
Why are stem cell therapies still not used for everything?
Ethical concerns + still in research
A cell has 46 chromosomes before S phase. How many chromatids after?
92
A lump is found in the body. Which diagnostic tool tells if cells are disorganized for sure?
Biopsy (microscope confirms dysplasia)
Which adaptation would make Hulk’s muscles huge?
Hypertrophy
In space, reduced lung use causes air sac cells to shrink. Name the cellular adaptation.
Atrophy
Why does early cancer screening save lives?
Detects before metastasis
Draw the difference between chromatids vs chromatin
X shapes strands vs. loose strands
Explain why metastasis makes treatment harder
Cancer spreads → many locations → harder targeting
Create a 10-second superhero/villain origin story using BRCA1 mutation
Increased cancer risk → early screening needed
Why do athletes breathe heavily right after exercise?
Cells need O2 → mitochondria make more ATP
You are a doctor: patient has BRCA1 mutation → what is your advice?
more frequent screening to detect any changes