gen b

• Genetic Engineering


  The process of making changes on the genetic code of an organism using recombinant DNA (rDNA) technology to alter the genetic make up of an organism
• Genes


  The blueprints that carry characters and traits
• Dominant Alleles


  Expressed more often and observed more commonly; overrules
• Recessive Alleles


  Suppressed by a dominant gene
• Genetically Modified Organism (GMO)


  Organisms that have Recombinant DNA
• Transgenic Organism


  Another term for GMO since genes are "transferred" from one to another
• Cisgenic/Intragenic


  A gene is moved within the same species or a closely related species
• RNAi


  A biological process in which RNA molecules inhibit gene expression
• Subgenic


  A gene is edited to amplify, delete, insert, silence or repress the gene
• Genetic Engineering Crop Traits

  • Herbicide tolerance
  • Insect tolerance
  • Improved nutrition
  • Disease resistant
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Increased Storage
  • Medicinal uses
  • Industrial uses
• Artificial Selection


  The intentional breeding of plants or animals
• Natural Selection


  The process whereby organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring
• Genetic Drift


  The change in the frequency of an existing gene variant in a population due to random sampling of organisms
• Mutation


  A change in DNA sequence result from DNA copying mistakes made during cell division, exposure to chemicals called mutagens or infection by viruses
• Gene Flow


  The movement of genes from one population to another population
• Recombination


  The process by which pieces of DNA are broken and recombined to produce new combination of alleles
• Primordial soup theory suggests that life started in a primordial soup of organic molecules
• Theory of spontaneous generation states the idea that life comes from lifeless or nonliving material through a mysterious process
• Theory of panspermia states that the building blocks of life come from outside Earth
• Earth was created 4.6 Billion years ago and life only started 3.8 Billion years ago
• Stromatolites (3.5 Billion years ago) - rocks with distinctive layers made of microbes or archaebacteria
• Microfossils - solid organic materials, almost mineral like but they contain carbon (C12 and C13)
• Metamorphic - low C12 or C13 of the rocks contain these stable carbons
• Uranium Dating - used to determine age of Earth
• Archaebacteria


  The first organisms, from the Greek word archaea = ancient
• Types of Archaebacteria


  • Thermophiles
  • Halophiles
  • Xenophiles
• The building blocks of life come from outside Earth
• Stromatolites (3.5 Billion years ago)

  • Rocks with distinctive layers made of microbes or archaebacteria
  • The upper layer uses photosynthesis (cyanobacteria)
  • The lower layer uses chemosynthesis (chemicals)
• Microfossils


  Solid organic materials, almost mineral like but they contain carbon (C12 and C13)
• Pearl isn't a mineral as it is made up of sediments in a clam's mouth
• Metamorphic


  Low C12 or C13 of the rocks contain these stable carbons
• Uranium Dating


  Used to determine age of Earth
• The first organisms are the Archaebacteria from the Greek word archaea = ancient
• Archaebacteria are eukaryotes
• Types of Archaebacteria


  • Thermophiles
  • Halophiles
  • Xenophiles
• Thermophiles


  Can withstand different extreme temperatures
• Halophiles


  Can withstand high contents of salt or salinity. Halo means salt
• Xenophiles


  Absence of oxygen or anaerobic bacteria (they don't breathe oxygen)
• Bryophyte - microscopic plants
• Came after the fishes were a new type of organisms, the Amphibians