Biology Essays Genetics

Still other diseases, like Down syndrome, are linked to chromosomal aberrations that can be identified through cytogenetic techniques that examine chromosome structure and number.

Chlorophyll is synthesized in an environment containing light because the gene for chlorophyll is expressed only when it interacts with light.

If a plant is placed in a dark environment, chlorophyll synthesis stops because the gene is no longer expressed. Mendel suspected that traits were inherited as discrete units, and, although he knew nothing of the physical or chemical nature of genes at the time, his units became the basis for the development of the present understanding of heredity.

Only when we are equipped with the ability to reach our own conclusions will our misconceptions be altered. DImage: Mehau Kulyk/Science Photo Library/Getty Images.

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"Half of your DNA is determined by your mother's side, and half is by your father.

So, if you seem to look exactly like your mother, perhaps some DNA that codes for your body and how your organs run was copied from your father's genes."So close, yet so far.This quote, taken from a high school student's submission in a national essay contest, represents just one of countless misconceptions many people have about the basic nature of heredity and how our bodies read the instructions stored in our genetic material (Shaw et al. Although it is true that half of our genome is inherited from our mother and half from our father, it is certainly not the case that only some of our cells receive instructions from only some of our DNA.Rather, every diploid, nucleated cell in our body contains a full complement of chromosomes, and our specific cellular phenotypes are the result of complex patterns of gene expression and regulation.Gene action depends on interaction with the environment.Green chlorophyll that gives them their green colour.In fact, it is through this dynamic regulation of gene expression that organismal complexity is determined.For example, when the first draft of the human genome was published in 2003, scientists were surprised to find that sequence analysis revealed only around 25,000 genes, instead of the 50,000 to 100,000 genes originally hypothesized.Using molecular approaches, information about mutation rates, and other tools, scientists continue to add more detail to phylogenetic trees, which tell us about the relationships between the marvelous variety of organisms that have existed throughout the planet's history.Examining how different processes shape populations through the culling or maintenance of deleterious or beneficial alleles lies at the heart of the field of population genetics.As we seek to cultivate this understanding of modern genetics, it is critical to remember that the misconceptions expressed in the aforementioned essay are the same ones that many individuals carry with them. Thus, when working together, faculty and students need to explore not only what we know about genetics, but also what data and evidence support these claims.