Fetal Development

How do the mother's actions affect the embryo/fetus?

Everything a mother does affects the fetus. Everything she eats or drinks is passed down to the growing baby and although the mother may not realize it. her actions can be fatal to the fetus growing inside her. 
If the mother takes steroids, there is a high possibility that the baby will die. If she smokes, he may have severe brain damage or lung problems later in life, he can also have facial abnormalities and stunts growth. If she drinks during pregnancy, the child might grow up to have behavior or learning disabilities and poor coordination. It has also been proven that a pregnant woman who listens to loud music has a higher chance of giving birth to a deaf child. 

A pregnant woman should be aware of the affect of these on the fetus. If she avoids doing these things, stays in a peaceful and calm environment when she can and simply be careful, the chances of giving birth to an unhealthy baby will be minimal. 

Onion Tip

http://bio.rutgers.edu/~gb101/lab2_mitosis/index2.html 



Introduction: Find out the difference between Cytokinesis and Mitosis.  How do they go together in order to complete the cell division process?  


Part 1: 
Can you find dividing cells in the onion root tip?
Yes, we can see cells in every phase of the cell cycle.

What differences can you see when you compare the nucleus of a dividing cell with that of a 
non-dividing cell? 
In a non-dividing cell, we can clearly see the nucleus whereas in other stages we see it less clearly or we can't see it at all


Part 2: View a video of mitosis in an animal cell. 

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/cvlpmmvB_m4?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Part 3: Identify at least one cell in each of the stages of division summarized in the review. Place the cursor over a dividing cell and click once. Identify the stage of division. When you have identified at least one cell in each stage, proceed to the next section.

Part 4: See what differences you can detect between the division of an animal cell and a plant cell.  


 

Is Dominance Always Dominant?

In class we did an online lab about dominance. Here is the link:
http://www2.edc.org/weblabs/IncompleteDom/IncompleteDominanceMenu.html


After crossing many different pea plants, snapdragons and lentils, I realized that there are three types of dominance.


The first type is dominance. This is when the dominant allele is completely dominant over the recessive allele. For example pea plants. We can see the dominant gene in color. There are two colors of pea plants; purple and white. The purple is dominant over the white. If one parent is purebred purple and the other purebred white then 100% of the offspring will be purple but will carry the gene for the white color. Mendel used pea plants in his experiments and this is how he found out how some genes were dominant over others.

The second type is Incomplete Dominance. This is when alleles aren't dominant over each other. For example Snapdragons. If one parent is purebred red and the other purebred white, the offspring will be pink. As if both colors blended together to form a new color.

The third type is Co-Dominance. This is when both traits are expressed. For example Lentils. If one parent is purebred spotted and the other purebred dotted, the offspring will be spotted AND dotted. As if they weren't able to decide which one should b dominant so both are equally expressed.

Guilty or Innocent?

1) Based on your findings, were any of the suspects present at the crime scene?  Support your conclusion with specific evidence.  


Suspect 4 was present at the crime scene because the DNA sample matches. We know this because the lines are exactly the same as the sample collected on the crime scene. 


2) Why do people's DNA patterns differ so greatly?


People's DNA differ so greatly because no one has the same DNA. DNA is the instruction manual to how our body works, how we look like, how we act and also the disease and traits we carry. No one is the same, therefore, no one's DNA is exactly the same.    


3) How would your conclusions be affected if you learned that the suspect whose DNA matched the evidence had an identical twin? 


Even though they are identical twins, since no one has the same DNA, I think they each have a very slight difference. It would be a shame if the investigators read the DNA wrong and accused the wrong twin.  


4) Suppose you are a defense lawyer. DNA evidence indicates that the bloodstain at the scene of a crime belongs to your client.  Do you think this DNA evidence should be enough to convict your client?  


This means that my client was at the place of the murder but does not necessarily mean that he is the murderer. The murderer could have threatened him with a knife, cut him and there would be a blood stain. Investigators can look into the DNA and my client may be the murderer. But there is also a chance that he isn't. Sometimes, DNA is not enough to prove someone guilty. 

Current Event

Is it possible to die of boredom? Well, in a way, yes. 

"According to the Center for Boredom, Interest and Entertainment, 26 percent of respondents in a 1952 survey claimed that boredom was a serious problem in their lives. By 1978, the number had risen up to 38 percent". Apparently. the more free time we have the more chances we have to get bored. Some people use the excuse of being bored to do something new or interesting. On the other hand, others are not so positive and use their boredom as an excuse for destructive behavior (drugs, drinking, excessive gambling...). In extreme cases, boredom can sometimes lead to suicide. In addition, a study shows that people who are often bored are more prone to heart diseases. "Those who had reported being bored at work were 2.5 times more likely to have died of a heart disease. To put this in perspective, people who smoke are between two and four times more likely than nonsmokers to develop heart disease".


I find this interesting that someone actually looked into whether or not you can die from boredom :) If someone smokes AND has a very boring life, he actually has a very high risk of developing a heart disease. 


link: http://curiosity.discovery.com/question/can-you-really-die-boredom

Karyotyping Activity

Karyotyping Activity: http://www.biology.arizona.edu/human_bio/activities/karyotyping/karyotyping.html


Patient A: 


1) What notation would you use to characterize Patient A's karyotype?
47, XX/XY, +21


2) What diagnosis would you give Patient A?
Patient A has Down Syndrom. He has Trisomy 21, in other words, he has an extra chromosome 21.


Patient B:


1) What notation would you use to characterize Patient A's karyotype?
47, XXY


2) What diagnosis would you give Patient A?
Patient B has Klinefelter's Syndrome. He has one extra sex chromosome.


Patient C:


1) What notation would you use to characterize Patient A's karyotype?
47, XX/XY, +13


2) What diagnosis would you give Patient A?
Patient C has Trisomy 13 Syndrome. He has an extra chromosome 13.

GATTACA

1) Compare Jerome and Vincent. What were their strenghts and their weaknesses? In what ways were they the mirror image of each other?

Both Jerome and Vincent are determined. Jerome will do almost anything to make his dream come true and go into space. Vincent has always won in swimming as he is a perfect swimmer. But when he gets the bronze medal instead oof the gold, he will remember his loss for the rest of his life.

2) Was Jerome mentally ill?

There is a big difference between being mentally ill and depressed. In my opinion, Jerome was not at all mentally ill but he was certainly depressed and suicidal. This maybe partly because he was physically ill and could not do, what he loved and use to be good at, anymore. He could no longer swim. Swimming was his passion, his life, without it and without the best results (i.e. Gold medal ALL THE TIME) he became depressed and had no more motivations.

3) Compare Anton and Vincent, the two brothers. How was Vincent able to beat Anton at swimming despite Vincent's weak heart?

Although Anton's heart was stronger than Vincent's, Anton kept some of his strength for the swim back. Vincent didn't. He gave 150% and left none for when he had to come back. He gave 10% talent but 90% effort. On the other hand, Anton relied on his talent.


If you would like to watch the movie, here is a link: http://online-movie-db.info/watch.php?vid=Gattaca

Or just watch the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=m_nkVmRSpfE

Cracking the Code of Life

1. Sequencing the human genome may bring to light a number of genes that are the basis for known genetic diseases or that predispose a person to a condition such as heart disease, cancer, or Alzheimer's genetic disease. Yet finding a gene for an illness may not lead to an immediate cure. Would you want to be tested to learn whether they had a genetic disease of predisposition if no cure was available? Why or why not?

If a gene for a genetic disease was discovered, I would want to be tested and to know whether or not I have the gene that causes the disease. Even if there was no cure available. I would like to know so that if and when I decide to have children, I would know that they will carry the gene of the disease and there is a chance they will get the disease. My children would carry the gene and then it would be their decision to have children or not. I find this very logical but many people are probably going to argue with me and say that they would prefer not knowing that they carried the gene so that they wouldn't have to worry all their life about when they will turn sick. I would prefer to know before I become sick so I can live my life to thefullest and enjoy the little things. I also think it would be practical for the following geberations to know if I had a certain gene or not.
But this is only my opinion and I cannot make the decision for someone else. Everybody has their own opinion and this is why I find it very important that they make the tests available without making them obligatory. People ahould have the right to decide for themselves if they would like to know. Just like the gender of a baby when a women is pregnant, some people decide to wait and see when the time comes, it is their own decision and no one told them what to do.

2. Consider a scenario in which a lab need DNA samples for use in genetic testing studies. Researchers are searching for a variant of a gene that provides resistance to specific bacteria diseases. If the company finds this gene, it may be able to produce a drug to sell to people who have these diseases.
Would you agree to have your DNA be part of the study? Why or why not? Would you want royalties for your part in finding the gene? What if during the testing, the company discovered you had a gene that might result in a health problem later in life? Would you want to be informed? Why or why not?

I don't see why I wouldn't allow them to use a sample of my DNA as it would not harm me. I would donate a sample of my DNA to help the study, it may help someone who is suffering from the disease without harming me. I hadn't thought about asking for royalties for my part in discovering the gene. I guess I could ask for royalties because they used my DNA but on the other hand, I didn't contribute in in the research. So, as a conclusion, I would probably ask for royalties but I wouldn't be very concerned if they refused to give it to me.
If they found out that I had the gene for the disease, I would like them to tell me so I would know. As explained in the previous question, I would like to know so that I can 'live my life to the fullest'.


3. As more is learned about genes, there is a risk that the information will be used to define certain members of society by their genetic makeup. Identify the meaning of the terms genetic discrimination and genetic privacy. What are some ways to protect against this type of genetic discrimination?

In my opinion, genetic discrimination would be when someone is being put in a group because o certain genes that they have, this kind of discrimination could start off as teasing because the person is different, to getting insulted, not getting a certain job, not being able to go to certain places, etc. An example of genetic discrimination was when Hitler decided to kill everyone who did not have blond hair and blue eyes. I think the only way to protect people against genetic discrimination is for the files containing the information about the genes of someone should be kept private and safe. These files should not be available for everyone to see and browse through.

Notes and Thoughts about the movie:

I learned many new things during the movie/video as I wasn't even aware that there was a human genome project. I found it interesting that the goal of the project was to be able to create a warning system for a host of diseases.
Another thing that surprised me was that all humans are 99.9% identical. Apparently, we all have the same genetic variation as the people that lived thousands of years ago. I also found it funny and surprising that humans were 50% similar with a banana and 97% alike with yeast.
I find it impressive that even if only one of our proteins is misfolded, it may create a life-threatening or deadly disease. :'(