Educator Resources

A current focus in science education is to apply science practices to real-world scenarios to make science more relevant to students’ lives. Ongoing debates about the eligibility of certain female athletes to participate in women’s events provide an engaging entry point for students to learn the biology of human reproductive development. Students apply what they have learned to evaluate the results of different tests that have been used throughout sports history to qualify female athletes to compete. The interactive can be followed by a class discussion about current knowledge of biological sex and how that knowledge could inform policy decisions.

The Click & Learn is appropriate for general biology, anatomy and physiology, and introductory biology classes at the high school and college level.

Students should be able to complete the Click & Learn in one to two 50-minute class periods, depending on the amount of discussion. To reduce class time, students can complete the background information under “Human Development” as homework and then complete the “Case Studies” and discuss their findings in class.

We would like to hear about your experiences using the Click & Learn. Please send comments, implementation ideas, suggestions for additional resources to biointeractive@hhmi.org .

Key Concepts

  • Information stored in DNA is expressed as RNA and proteins, which impact anatomical structures and physiology.
  • Many gene products determine the development of biological sex characteristics in humans.
  • Like most traits, biological sex consists of a spectrum of phenotypes.
  • Knowledge of basic science can be used to inform decisions we make as individuals and a society.

References

Bermon, S., and P. Y. Garnier. 2017. “Serum androgen levels and their relation to performance in track and field: mass spectrometry results from 2127 observations in male and female elite athletes.” British Journal of Sports Medicine 51, 17: 1309–1314. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2017-097792 .

Bermon, S., P. Y. Garnier, A. L. Hirschberg, N. Robinson, S. Giraud, R. Nicoli, N. Baume, et al. 2014. “Serum androgen levels in elite female athletes.” The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 99, 11: 4328–4335. https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2014-1391 .

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Healy, M. L., J. Gibney, C. Pentecost, M. J. Wheeler, and P. H. Sonksen. 2014. “Endocrine profiles in 693 elite athletes in the postcompetition setting.” Clinical Endocrinology 81, 2: 294–305. https://doi.org/10.1111/cen.12445 .

Hughes, I.A., C. Houk, S. F. Ahmed, and P. A. Lee. 2006. “Consensus statement on management of intersex disorders.” Journal of Pediatric Urology 2, 3: 148–162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpurol.2006.03.004 .

Menier, A. 2018. “Use of event-specific tertiles to analyse the relationship between serum androgens and athletic performance in women.” British Journal of Sports Medicine 52, 23: 1540. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2017-098464 .