genetics and behavior

• Human behavior depends on a combination of genetics and environmental influences.
• Genetics provides a springboard for evaluating the controversial question of whether human behavior depends on genetics, environmental influences, or both.
• Genetics and environment interact to shape human behavior.
• The fundamental issue is how much a role each factor plays in shaping human behaviors.
• Examples of human behaviors that are influenced by genetics include psychological disorders, weight gain, personality, and sexual orientation.
• Gregor Mendel demonstrated that inheritance occurs through discrete units of heredity, called genes, that maintain their structural identity from one generation to another.
• Genes come in pairs, called alleles, and are aligned along chromosomes.
• A gene is defined as a portion of a chromosome and is composed of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).
• DNA serves as a model for the synthesis of ribonucleic acid (RNA).
• RNA is a single strand chemical that can serve as a template/model for the synthesis of proteins.
• Proteins determine the development of the body by forming part of the structure of the body and serving as enzymes, biological catalysts that regulate chemical reactions in the body.
• Common misconceptions about evolution include Lamarckian evolution.
• Transgenerational epigenetic effects can be observed in alterations of embryo development, congenital diseases at birth, and late onset diseases in the adult life.
• Researchers have found evidence for heritability in almost every behavior they have tested.
• Evolution attempts to answer two questions: how did some species evolve and how do species evolve.
• Species evolved is based on inferences from fossils/comparisons of living species.
• Heredity and environment affect almost all behaviors.
• How species evolve rests upon some assumptions: offspring generally resemble their parents for genetic reasons, mutations, recombination, and microduplications of genes introduce new heritable variations, and certain individuals successfully reproduce more than others.
• Genes can also have an indirect affect by altering the environment by producing behaviors or traits that alter how people in your environment react to you.
• Epigenetic effects can modify traits with a strong hereditary influence.
• Evolution refers to a change in the frequency of various genes in a population over generations, regardless of whether the change is helpful or harmful to the species.
• Epigenetic effects can be positive or negative.
• According to Darwin, nature also selects, and successful individuals’ genes will be prevalent in later generations.
• Researchers study monozygotic and dizygotic twins to infer contributions of heredity and environment.
• Genes do not directly produce behaviors, but produce proteins that increase the probability that a behavior will develop under certain circumstances.
• Heritability refers to how much characteristics depend on genetic differences.
• Researchers study adopted children and their resemblance to their biological parents to infer hereditary influences.
• Artificial selection refers to choosing individuals with desired traits and making them parents of the next generation.
• Genes linked to some behavior can be identified by researchers.
• If we change a gene, we can also change the protein and its function.
• Mendelian Genetics involves the study of inheritance through discrete units of heredity, called genes, that maintain their structural identity from one generation to another.
• A field that is concerned with changes in gene expression without the modification of the DNA sequence.
• Changes in gene expression are central to learning and memory.
• All cells have the same DNA but are different.
• Phenotypic plasticity: the capacity of the genome to express a large number of phenotypes.
• Epigenetic differences are a likely explanation for differences between monozygotic “identical” twins.
• Epigenetic: επί, epì = «above» e γεννετικός, gennetikòs
• There are factors that can regulate the epigenetic are, ging of ana.
• Epigenetic alterations induced by lifestyle and environmental factors (diet, smoking, radiation, alcohol consumption, etc.) can have substantial effects on the sperm function.
• Epigenetic MechanismsEpigenetic alterations can be inherited.