genetics

Examples of genetics in the following topics:

• Genetic Variation

  • Genetic variation is a measure of the variation that exists in the genetic makeup of individuals within population.
  • Genetic variation is a measure of the genetic differences that exist within a population.
  • The genetic variation of an entire species is often called genetic diversity.
  • New genetic variation can be created within generations in a population, so a population with rapid reproduction rates will probably have high genetic variation.
  • Populations of wild cheetahs have very low genetic variation.

• Citizen Gênet Affair

  • The Citizen Genêt Affair threatened American neutrality during the French Revolutionary Wars.
  • Genêt commissioned four privateering ships (the Republicaine, the Anti-George, the Sans-Culotte, and the Citizen Genêt) and organized American volunteers to fight Britain's Spanish allies in Florida.
  • Angered by Genêt's audacity in recruiting privateers in blatant violation of American neutrality, Washington confronted Genêt in the presidential mansion in Philadelphia.
  • When Genêt's request was turned down, he was also informed that his actions were unacceptable.
  • Genêt, knowing that he would likely be sent to the guillotine, asked Washington for asylum.

• Genetic Engineering in Animals

  • The purpose of genetic engineering in animals is to create animals with special characteristics.
  • Scientists are now capable of creating new species of animals by taking genetic material from one, or more, plants or animals, and genetically engineering them into the genes of another animal.
  • Genetically engineered animals are also created to help medical researchers in their quest to find cures for genetic disease, like breast cancer.
  • Despite this debate, the law in both the United States and in Europe, tends to support genetic engineering research and development by allowing genetically engineered animals to be patented.
  • Laboratory mice are genetically manipulated by deleting a gene for use in biomedical research.

• Applications of Genetic Engineering

  • Genetic engineering means the manipulation of organisms to make useful products and it has broad applications.
  • Example of a genetic engineering application in medicine: one of the earliest uses of genetic engineering in pharmaceuticals was gene splicing to manufacture large amounts of insulin, made using the cells of E. coli bacteria.
  • Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification, is the direct manipulation of an organism's genome using biotechnology.
  • Genetic engineering has produced a variety of drugs and hormones for medical use.
  • Laboratory mice are genetically manipulated by deleting a gene for use in biomedical research.

• Genetic Basis of Intelligence and Learning

  • Although environment also plays an important role, genetics influence human intelligence and our capacity to learn in many ways.
  • While environmental influences play a large role, our ability to learn is also largely shaped by genetics.
  • The occurrence of neurobehavioral disorders is influenced by both genetic and non-genetic factors, and the genes directly associated with these disorders are often unknown.
  • It may even be possible to develop specific approaches to help individual students with different genetic predispositions more effectively.
  • Discuss the role genetics play in our cognition and our ability to learn.

• The Influence of Genes on Behavior

  • To a large extent, who we are and how we behave is a result of our genetic makeup.
  • Behavioral genetics studies heritability of behavioral traits, and it overlaps with genetics, psychology, and ethology (the scientific study of human and animal behavior).
  • Genetics plays a large role in when and how learning, growing, and development occurs.
  • Classical, or Mendelian, genetics examines how genes are passed from one generation to the next, as well as how the presence or absence of a gene can be determined via sexual reproduction.
  • Gregor Mendel is known as the father of the field of genetics, and his work with plant hybridization (specifically pea plants) demonstrated that certain traits follow particular patterns.

• Genetic Engineering

  • In genetic engineering, an organism's genotype is altered using recombinant DNA, created by molecular cloning, to modify an organism's DNA.
  • Genetic engineering is the alteration of an organism's genotype using recombinant DNA technology to modify an organism's DNA to achieve desirable traits.
  • The organism that receives the recombinant DNA is called a genetically-modified organism (GMO).
  • " This technique, called reverse genetics, has resulted in reversing the classic genetic methodology.
  • Borer-resistant corn is an example of a genetically- modified organism made possible through genetic engineering methods that allow scientists to alter an organism's DNA to achieve specific traits, such as herbicide resistance.

• Race and Genetics

  • People's understanding of "race" emerged long before we knew anything about genetics.
  • The relationship between race and genetics has relevance for the ongoing controversies regarding race.
  • Ongoing genetic research has investigated how ancestral human populations migrated in the ancestral geographic environment into different geographic areas.
  • Today it is possible to determine, by genetic analysis, the geographic ancestry of a person and the degree of ancestry from each region.
  • Recall what recent discoveries in genetics has revealed about the concept of race

• Genetic Drift

  • Genetic drift is the converse of natural selection.
  • Small populations are more susceptible to the forces of genetic drift.
  • In a population of 100, that individual represents only 1 percent of the overall gene pool; therefore, genetic drift has much less impact on the larger population's genetic structure.
  • The genetic structure of the survivors becomes the genetic structure of the entire population, which may be very different from the pre-disaster population.
  • Thus even while genetic drift is a random, directionless process, it acts to eliminate genetic variation over time.

• Genetic Defects from Radiation

  • Ionizing radiation from fallout can cause genetic effects, birth defects, cancer, cataracts, and other organ and tissue defects.
  • Ionizing radiation from fallout can cause genetic effects, birth defects, cancer, cataracts, and other organ and tissue defects.
  • Exposure to even relatively low doses of radiation has been shown to generate genetic damage in the progeny of irradiated rodents.
  • Recognize the name of the genetic defect that has been shown to be caused by acute radiation exposure during pregnancy