...A Discussion of the Issues relative to Genetic Diversity an essay by Timothy D. Roxbury A Discussion of the Issues relative to Genetic Diversity Introduction When we discuss genetic diversity, we describe the genetic differences of certain members of a population, whether they are mammal (humanoid or animal), plant or any other type of living organism. Upon first discovery of genetic differences, we notice that the alleles for each diverse characteristic may be placed under one of two categories: high genetic diversity or low genetic diversity. In the case of high genetic diversity, we will find a variety of differing alleles for each characteristic. Conversely, nearly all of the members of a population will have the same alleles when the case of low genetic diversity is considered. The following discussion will take into consideration the concept of genetic diversity, how it is introduced into a population and what, if any, are the resulting factors. The four means of introduction are: • Migration • Mutation • Population Size • Sexual Reproduction In the following synopsis, each means of introduction will be considered separately followed by a conclusion of the assignment. Migration as it relates to Genetic Diversity Migration is defined as the movement of a living organism from one place to another. During the process of migration, the living organism is subject to spread its alleles among other like living beings. This,...
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...How Genetics Affect Me And Others Xavier Mutation, Heritability, and genetic disorders are three major different type of genes. These different genotypes have not really affected me myself but , have effected many different people around the world. This essay will describe three different types of genomes that are effective. Many people in this world have problems or have to deal with some certain genes such as genetic disorders. Other genomes like mutation, and hybrid can be good or bad. First I will talk about mutation. Few mutations are bad for you. Infact some mutations can be beneficial, but over time , genetic mutations create genetic diversity, which keeps populations healthy. As you may or may not know is that we all start off with...
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...ology Chapter 13 Lecture Outline Introduction Clown, Fool, or Simply Well Adapted? A. Review: Evolution is the central theme of biology. Evolutionary adaptation is a universal characteristic of living things (see Module 1.6). NOTE: More than any other idea in biology, evolutionary theory serves to tie the discipline together. T. Dobzhansky: “Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution.” B. If you look at any organism critically, you are first struck by the differences from other organisms. 1. Further observation often reveals that an organism’s features show some relationship to where the organism lives and what it does in its environment. 2. The blue-footed booby has enormous webbed feet, an oil producing gland that keeps the booby afloat, a nostril that can close under water that prevents water from entering the lungs, a gland that secrets salt from consumed sea water, and a torpedo-like body—all adaptations that make life on the sea feasible. I. Darwin’s Theory of Evolution Module 13.1 A sea voyage helped Darwin frame his theory of evolution. A. Awareness of each organism’s adaptations and how they fit the particular conditions of its environment helps us appreciate the natural world (Figure 13.1A). B. Early Greek philosophers held various views. Anaximander (about 2,500 years ago) suggested that life arose in water and that simpler forms...
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...HISTORY OF BIOLOGY Though biology is generally regarded as a modern science with late origins in the early to mid-nineteenth century, it drew on varied traditions, practices, and areas of inquiry beginning in antiquity. Traditional histories of biology generally target two areas that merged into modern biological science: medicine and natural history. The tradition of medicine dates back to the work of ancient Greek medical practitioners such as Hippocrates of Kos (b. 460 B.C.E.) and to figures such as Galen of Pergamum (c. 130–c. 200), who contributed much to early understanding of anatomy and physiology. The tradition of natural history dates back to the work of Aristotle (384–322 B.C.E.). Especially important are his History of Animals and other works where he showed naturalist leanings. Also important is the work of Aristotle's student Theophrastus (d. 287 B.C.E.), who contributed to an understanding of plants. Aristotle and Theophrastus contributed not only to zoology and botany, respectively, but also to comparative biology, ecology, and especially taxonomy (the science of classification). Both natural history and medicine flourished in the middle ages, though work in these areas often proceeded independently. Medicine was especially well studied by Islamic scholars working in the Galenic and Aristotelian traditions, while natural history drew heavily on Aristotelian philosophy, especially in upholding a fixed hierarchy of life. The Roman naturalist Caius Plinius Secundus...
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...The Effects of Smoking Smoking is one of the most common vices that some people have. For smokers, it has already become a part of their daily routine. In fact, the number of smokers has been dramatically increasing every year. In this essay, I will be discussing more about smoking with the hope of convincing smokers to consider quitting smoking. According to a news by the Food and Agricultural Organization of United Nations (FAO), the number of smokers has increased from 1.1 billion to 1.3 billion worldwide which is equivalent to an increase of about 1.5% annually. If we are to count the tons of tobacco sold annually, it would reach about 7.1 million (“Higher world,” 2004). Given that fact, it is very disturbing and disappointing to know that this bad habit is slowly spreading to almost seven billion people worldwide like an epidemic. However, let us try considering some of the reasons why they smoke. Seeing their older relatives or their parents smoke makes them consider starting smoking as well. As a result, most teenagers think that smoking makes them look matured. Another reason why they smoke is peer pressure. If one’s group of friends is a group of smokers, there is a high possibility that he will also be influenced by them for the sake of fitting in. Minors also tend to be excited to try something new such as smoking. Some also consider smoking as their way of relieving from their personal problems; it is where they pour out all their stress. Lastly, they use...
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...be a better shot at surviving. ix. Kelly. “Adenoma/Glioblastoma multiforme/Anaplastic astrocytoma/Glioma Cured.” x. Cousins, Emily. “Life after Treatment Can Be Almost As Hard as the Chemo.” xi. Messoria, Josie. Personal interview. 15 November 2012. III. Conclusion xii. Personal. Abstract In this essay the author discusses cancer, what causes cancer, holistic vs. medical treatments. The first part of the essay the author presents a piece of an interview conducted with a young cancer patient who was going against the grain and refusing treatment. The essay then goes into a personal narrative on how the author feels about cancer then from there goes into a great descriptive paragraph about cancer and carcinogens. Her thesis is clearly surrounding the argument whether or not holistic or medical treatments such as surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy are ideal in treating/curing cancer. She explains that there are some cancer patients who swear by holistic remedies, but there are also patients who would rather go through the medical treatments offered. It is a very subtle argument in this essay. She clearly states where she stands on the subject, and gives her personal opinion from a nurse’s...
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...Casey Vincent Microbiology Fungi Essay Not All Fungi Are the Same All fungi are unique in their own way and each represents something new and exciting within the world. As new fungi are discovered and more is becoming known about the existing fungi our knowledge is growing and helping us to live a better life. A few of the fungi studied about are zygomycota, ascomycota, and basidiomycota, which will be discussed in further detail throughout this paper. Zygomycota are also known as “conjugation fungi” and make up only about 1% of known fungi species (Zygomycota). These fungi can reproduce both sexually and asexually; when asexual they spread by a sporangium breaking open and allowing the sporangiospores to spread out, if the spores come in contact with a suitable medium they begin to grow. Zygomycota produce zygospores when they reproduce sexually, this occurs when the nuclei of two cells morphologically similar fuse together. Nutrients are obtained by the fungi by decomposing soil, plant matter, and dung of either animal or fungal origin (Clark, Curtis 2010; Zygomycota). This fungi phylum plays a major role in the carbon cycle because of its ability to decompose items within the environment (Clark, Curtis 2010). Zygomycota are also used to control some insects and can be used for fermentation (Clark, Curtis 2010). Common black bread mold called Rhizopus stolnifer is an example of asexual producing Zygomycota. Approximately 75% of all fungi are ascomycota fungi, also...
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...Genetic engineering is the biological technique developed for changing the genetic code permanently by manipulating the gene.The use of genetic engineering is very controversial.In the debate of genetic engineering, it is sometimes hard differentiating fact from fiction.This is because the debate has been confused by the influence of rigid absolutist views (both supportive of and opposed to genetical engineering) about the role of science in society combined with a general ignorance of science. This essay will evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of genetic engineering. A major advantage of genetic engineering is the important role that it plays in sustainable agriculture. The world's population is growing and with that comes the demand for more food. The use of new varieties of crop plants produced by genetic engineering which can survive and give good yields in poor soils, dry conditions and without the need for expensive pesticides and fertilisers will be essential in preventing food shortages in areas where crop cultivation is difficult. It has been applied for example in the green revolution which Norman Borlaug initiated. This helped prevent famine in at risk countries such as Mexico, India and Parkistan by increasing their wheat production. The potential is also there in Africa for producing 'Roundup Ready' ( Round up is a pesticide) crops so that the gene for herbicide tolerance is already built into the crops. Furthermore, using conventional farming methods...
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...It is said that the conception of evil is controversial. The definitions of evil are explained differently in both ordinary and in a particular field such as ethics. The questions we mostly concern about are whether or not there are actual evil persons and how they look like or the reasons make them become evil persons. In this essay, firstly I will discuss two main factors including circumstances and luck, which are concerned as have essential influence on people’s attitude and behaviour in order to perform actions. Secondly, I will demonstrate whether evil persons should be condemned or blameworthy. Finally, I will indicate another factor which was mentioned in Russell’s article is subject’s autonomy because I think it can be considered as the significant factor in order to decide whether a subject is evil person or not. Before discussing the two factors, circumstance and luck, it is important to understand what evil persons and evil actions are in different accounts. It can be said that there is a relation between evil action and evil person. But what we are judging here is evil action, not evil person though evil action can make an even ordinary person become an evil person and it seems that only evil persons can carry out evil actions. According to psychological thin account, evil action is considered as evil if it is culpable wrong and connect to the extreme harm, whereas psychological thick account adds another point to this, is evil action also encounter with the combination...
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...phenomena into mechanistic descriptions of complex systems. This ambition demands the need to understand the underlying determinants of evolvable developmental systems. I aim to review the dynamics of two systems-level phenomena: modularity and robustness and their evolutionary implications. Despite a plethora of literature, these terms have remained very ambiguous. Modularity reduces interdependence of components and confers robustness. Robustness, which is broadly understood, as the insensitivity of a biological systems functionalities to perturbations is another design principle in itself. Such robustness could enhance the potential for future evolutionary innovations. Both these properties therefore affect evolvability of a lineage. In this essay I aim to articulate my way through this hierarchy of modularity, robustness and evolvability, elucidating mechanisms that reveal their interplay to maximize functionality. I further discuss whether evolution of evolvability itself is possible. 1 Acknowledgements Firstly, I would like to sincerely thank my supervisor, Professor Armand Leroi for his guidance and support...
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...MULTIPLECHOICE SECTION INSTRUCTIONS: Read all instructions carefully. Please answer all questions. Each question is worth 0.5 points. The Multiple Choice section is worth 40 points. **Do not enter your answers here.** Type in the letter you select as the best answer on the Answer Sheet provided by your instructor. 1. Which of these would be a valid hypothesis? A) Human history is determined by a series of supernatural events. B) Humans should help in the conservation of other animal species. C) Humans are controlled by forces beyond our understanding. D) Humans and bacteria share a common genetic code. 2. In the scientific method, a hypothesis . E) is a statement of fact F) can only be tested once G) is usually proven to be correct H) is a proposed explanation based on observations I) none of the above 3. What is the correct sequence of steps in the scientific method? I. State the problem II. Analyze and interpret the data III. Share the results with other scientists IV. Develop a hypothesis V. Design and perform an experiment to test the hypothesis A) I → II → III → IV → V B) III → I → V → II → IV C) V →IV → III → II → I D) I → IV → V → II → III E) V → II → I → III → IV 4. To test a hypothesis about a given variable, experimental and control groups are tested in parallel. Which of the following best explains the dual experiments...
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...“The longer you live the longer you should live” –Wiley “Evolution’s a bitch” –Wiley “Suckers are good to eat” –Wiley WHAT HAS EVOLUTION DONE FOR ME What has evolution done for me • Agricultural crops and animal breeding for the past 8,000 years • With the discovery of methods to reconstruct evolutionary relationships there is been a vast increase in the relevance of evolutionary biology to human society. Reconstructing Phylogenies • 1859-1950- No coherent empirical methods • 1950-1966- Emergence of Phylogenetic Systematics • Phylogeny by discovery of the order of evolutionary innovation Ribotyping • Fingerprinting or sequencing RNA • Many diseases have unknown causes • However, diseased tissues can be ribotyped. (Wiley Death Fish) • This process involves extracting DNA from diseased tissues and then sequencing the DNA that codes for rRNA. • If a disease agent such as a bacteria is present, then we will get ribosomal DNA sequences from the host (you) and the bacteria (the infection agent). Ribotyping: Phylogeny matching • Once we have the rDNA sequences, we can plug them into a sequence matrix of all life and see where our unknowns appear on the tree of life. Our Food Chain • Some products are easy to identify, but others are not. • A slab of fish fillet from a sea bass looks like a slab of sih fillet from a farmed Asian catfish. • But the sea bass costs $10/pound while the Asian catfish...
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...genetic alteration, I argue that the testing and selective termination of genetically defective embryos is the only medically and morally defensible way to prevent the existence of people with severe disability, pain and suffering that make their lives not worth living for them on the whole. In addition, I consider the possible harmful effects on children born from frozen embryos after the deaths of their biological parents, or when their parents are at an advanced age. I also explore whether embryos have moral status and whether the prospects for disease-preventing genetic alteration can justify long-term cryopreservation of embryos. INTRODUCTION Recent advances in reproductive biotechnology have given us the ability to intervene in the process of human biological development from embryos to people. One type of intervention is the testing of embryos for genetic defects that cause disease, which enables us to choose between allowing these embryos to result in disabled people or selectively terminating their further development. Alternatively, in the foreseeable future it may become possible to prevent disease by correcting a mutation in embryonic cells or by inserting a normal gene into these cells. It even may become possible to manipulate genes in such a way as to enhance people's normal cognitive and physical functioning. Still another form of intervention in the development of a...
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...How Zombies Could Actually Happen: A Research Paper Imagine a person infected with a disease to the point that they are some how no longer who they were before. The disease would take over the brain and make the body do only one thing, infect others. Sounds like a bad horror movie? Well think again. There are plenty of viruses, fungi, parasites, and chemicals in the world that affect the brain already and could cause such a thing to happen. The “zombie” wouldn’t be eating brains but it would want to spread the virus. Who is to say that a virus cannot mutate into something horrendous. This essay will show you that there are viruses, fungi, parasites, and chemicals that either can or have the potential to make people or animals into walking dead. Where did the idea of zombies come from? Zombies originated in Haiti as a sort of voodoo slave labor. What would happen was the person would be fed or rubbed with a mixture of the skin of the common toad and puffer fish. The skin of the common toad can actually kill people but the important part of it is that it is an incredibly strong pain killer. The puffer fish is extremely poisonous. It puts you in a coma in a near death state. People in Haiti are buried very soon after death and would be in the ground in less than 8 hours. The “dead person” would be dug up and fed datura, a plant with mind blowing after affects. According to Scientist Karl Kruszelnicki “Datura breaks your links with reality, and then destroys all recent memories...
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...It is possible to clone mammals. Is it morally acceptable to clone a human being? Defend your answer against those who would not agree with you. By: Martin Pierce Student Number: 1057404 In cloning for medical-research purposes the development of the embryo is halted as soon as a cluster of stem cells develops. The stem cells are then harvested for research purposes. Due to the fact that no infant is born (in fact the embryo never even gets past the blastocyst stage), it is argued that this type of cloning has nothing to do with human cloning. (Hatch Backs Limited Cloning, 2002). For this reason this paper shall take the statement “to clone a human being” as meaning cloning that results in a fully formed human and not on the cloning of embryos for the purposes of research. The issues around cloning are in the main more ethical than theological and yet most of the objections to cloning come from religious sources, even if those objections are not religious in nature. The first objection is that cloning leaves God out of the process of human creation. This only makes sense though if your definition of God is of a being that plays a role in the birth of each member of our species. Even holding to this view it does not necessarily follow that cloning is comparable to playing God (Brannigan, 2001). How can science prevent a supposedly...
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