Biology

• Genetic engineering


  Direct modification of an organism's genome, which is the list of specific traits (genes) stored in the DNA
• Created first genetically modified bacteria

  1973
• Created GM mice

  1974
• First commercial development of GMOs (insulin-producing bacteria)


  1982
• Began to sell genetically modified food

  1994
• Began to sell GMOs as pets (Glofish)


  2003
• Artificial selection techniques


  • Selective breeding
  • Hybridization
  • Inbreeding
• Artificial Selection

  Breeders choose which organism to mate to produce offspring with desired traits
• Hybridization


  Two individuals with unlike characteristics are crossed to produce the best in both organisms
• Inbreeding


  Breeding of organisms that are genetically similar to maintain desired traits
• Cloning


  Creating an organism that is an exact genetic copy of another
• Gene splicing


  DNA is cut out of one organism and put into another organism, transferring a trait
• Gel electrophoresis


  A technique used to compare DNA from two or more organisms by separating DNA based on size of fragments
• Engineered animals


  • Fast-Growing Salmon
  • Less Smelly Cows
  • Glow in the dark cat
• Web-Producing Goats: Spider genes in goats enable the production of spider silk in goat milk
• People's perspectives on genetic engineering


  • A farmer
  • A doctor
  • A concerned environmentalist
• A farmer's perspective


  Genetic engineering allows them to get much more crops
• A doctor's perspective


  Genetic engineering allows them to potentially treat/prevent genetic diseases
• A concerned environmentalist's perspective


  Genetic engineering may result in more monocultures that affect other species
• Genetics


  Branch of biology that deals with heredity and variation of organisms
• Chromosomes


  Carry the hereditary information (genes)
• DNA


  Arrangement of nucleotides
• Homologous chromosomes


  Chromosomes (and genes) occur in pairs
• New combinations of genes occur in sexual reproduction
• Gene


  A unit of heredity; a section of DNA sequence encoding a single protein
• Genome


  The entire set of genes in an organism
• Alleles


  Two genes that occupy the same position on homologous chromosomes and that cover the same trait (like 'flavors' of a trait)
• Locus


  A fixed location on a strand of DNA where a gene or one of its alleles is located
• Homozygous


  Having identical genes (one from each parent) for a particular characteristic
• Heterozygous


  Having two different genes for a particular characteristic
• Dominant


  The allele of a gene that masks or suppresses the expression of an alternate allele; the trait appears in the heterozygous condition
• Recessive


  An allele that is masked by a dominant allele; does not appear in the heterozygous condition, only in homozygous
• Genotype


  The genetic makeup of an organism
• Phenotype


  The physical appearance of an organism (Genotype + environment)
• Monohybrid cross


  A genetic cross involving a single pair of genes (one trait); parents differ by a single trait
• P


  Parental generation
• F1


  First filial generation; offspring from a genetic cross
• F2


  Second filial generation of a genetic cross
• Gregor Mendel


  • Father of genetics
  • First biologist to use Mathematics to explain his results quantitatively
• Mendel predicted the concept of genes that genes occur in pairs that one gene of each pair is present in the gametes