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Learn.Genetics
By Genetic Science Learning Center, University of Utah. Visit Learn.Genetics
Desk research from the maker's own pages. Not yet tried by us. Checked 2026-10-24.
A free university website of interactive biology lessons, animations and virtual labs. Students can zoom from a coffee bean down to a carbon atom to grasp cell size, tour the inside of a cell, breed virtual pigeons to see inheritance, or explore the microbiome, neuroscience and vaccines. A companion site, Teach.Genetics, offers free NGSS-friendly units for middle and high school teachers.
Our take: An excellent free biology resource for middle and high school students; too advanced for most young children.
Checked in a browser
A browser check on 2026-10-25: what loads, the ads and trackers we saw, and what a child meets first. Not a hands-on test.
| Child safety: 4 out of 5 | No ads or chat; a newsletter sign-up and a feedback tab are the only prompts. |
|---|---|
| Data: 4 out of 5 | Only Google Analytics and Tag Manager loaded, along with a consent tool, site search and a newsletter form. |
| Ease: 4 out of 5 | Big colored topic tiles (Cells, Ecology, Human Health) are easy to tap for middle and high schoolers. |
| Cost honesty: 4 out of 5 | Free; a giving link to the university is the only money ask. |
What we found
- The first visit contacted 13 third-party hosts on 11 sites and set 6 cookies.
- No ad networks or tracking services appeared; Cookiebot, Swiftype search and a Brevo newsletter form loaded.
- Topic tiles cover genetics, cells, ecology, evolution, neuroscience and virtual labs.
- The only outside link was to givecampus.com, a university giving page.
From the test: A free, ad-free science site for older kids with only Google Analytics on the first visit.
| Ages it suits | about 11-18 (grades 6-12) |
|---|---|
| What its terms say about age | Not stated; no accounts or age rule for students. A permissions policy allows free classroom use with credit. (terms) |
| Price | Free. Free (Oct 2026); optional free teacher accounts on Teach.Genetics. |
| Works on | Web |
| Account | No account needed |
| Ads | None |
| In-app purchases | None |
| The AI in it | No AI. |
What's good
- Free, no accounts, no ads
- Clear interactives for hard ideas like scale and inheritance
- Free classroom units for teachers
- University-made, accurate content
Watch for
- Text-heavy for young readers
- Some topics (genetic disorders, gene therapy) suit older students
- Web only
Data and privacy
Collects no personal information unless you send feedback; logs domain, IP address, browser and pages visited to count visitors. Read the privacy policy.
Does it work?
The maker's own claims only (award-winning, built on research); we found no independent study.
In the Big Index
- On the list 20 best sites for STEM projects at home
- On the list 23 best free online courses for teens
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Where these facts come from
- https://learn.genetics.utah.edu/
- https://learn.genetics.utah.edu/policies/privacy/
- https://learn.genetics.utah.edu/policies/permission/
- https://teach.genetics.utah.edu/
Prices, terms and features change. Nobody paid to be listed, nothing here is an affiliate link, and Peabody never rates itself. Where we and the maker disagree, the maker's own pages are the ones to trust.