Genetic Testing: Would You Want to Know?

This was a very touching article and video. I would do the same thing that Kristen did, if I was to lose my mother to a disease. I think this testing is very important especially at this day and age. If I have a really bad disease that can cause retardation I would't have a child. Not because I couldn't handle it or financially handle it but what happens to my child when I die? Also I have seen children like that struggle in life battling the non-use of their brian or limbs and they don't have a chance in life to survive. As a parent that would KILL me to see them pass away so young. It doesn't have to be retardation that I would want to know I would want to know everything. If they have would have cancer later on in life maybe I wouldn't have a child because I know that all they would be doing is suffering and just sick. If I could keep someone from suffering that is all I would want in my adult years.

In the article Kristen gets tested so that she won't hurt her children or her future family because Huntington's disease is a very serious disease and it is just so hard to see family members with that type of illness. Kristen lived with her mom having that disease note that she didn't know that but she knew that something was wrong with her mom. As a daughter you are very close to your mom and to see her in so much pain that hurts you and you will do anything to stop the pain even if it means that you as a woman and daughter not have children. Kristen makes a point of what kind of spose would want a wife with a disease where you would need constant attention?

So in my opinion yes I would want to be tested so I would know if I am safe and so that my future family would be safe. Also if I would have to tell my spose if I so chose that you will need to take care of me for the rest of my life and yours. I couldn't do that. I am the type of person who likes to plan every single detail in life. I am planning my future house, job, dog, even typical supper ill have when I have as a family. But if I have the chance to see what types of harm I carry I would love to stop that to save the pain of my family and my self.

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/health/story/2012-04-09/genetic-testing-huntingtons-disease/54475708/1

Old School DNA and GATTACA

We stated looking at DNA in  biology this last quarter and WOW is it crazy! We started looking at "old school DNA". What Old School DNA is getting this paper to sequence DNA which is basically finding were G,A,T,C goes. The picture below shows the dna in colloms of dna. We took a paper and counded the line across from left to right for each person. Then put the codons(

Three-base sequence in messenger RNA that causes the insertion of a particular amino acid into a protein, or termination of translation)

on the back of the paper in a graph and compaired to a normal DNA sequence. Easy lab but extrealmy hard to do.

These are the 4 people we could DNA for. Norm is the normal control guy and the last 3 have something wrong with them. They have at least one codon messed up. In their sequence of DNA. 

This is the paper that we put the codons on and compared them to Norm our normal guy. And we found out that Abby had 1 codon messed up, Bob had 1, and Carol had 7. She is one messed up lady.

This picture above are some notes I took about DNA. It explains what the codes are C-cytosine and G-Guamine are a pair and will always pair up the the sequence of DNA. The last two are A-adenine and T-thyme and they pair up in the sequence of DNA.

Next in biology we watch GATTACA. This movie is amazing and I really hope this doesnt happen in realy life tho.  Below are the question that analyze the movie. Which I would suggest to any person to watch.

1. The following terms were used in the movie. How do they relate to the words we use:

degenerate and invalid?

         De-gene-erate- is a person who hasn't been tested/ elected to be the perfect child.

         In-valid- A person who isn't part of the elite crowd.

         Borrowed Ladder- it is the same as a de-gene-erate and its a term for the shape of DNA.

2. Why do you think Vincent left his family, tearing his picture out of the family photo,

after winning the swimming race against his brother?
Because he thought that side he beast Anton in the race he can go on to GATTACA and become a spaceman. 

Anton is the elite brother who was always better than Vincent and Vincent wants to beat Anton so he can finally be a man.

3. Describe the relationship between Vincent and Anton.

4. When Jerome Morrow said to Vincent/Jerome, “They’re not looking for you. When they

look at you, they only see me,” what did he mean? Can you find any parallels to this type

of situation in real life?
They won't look Jerome because he is the elite personal and Vincent isn't which makes him an easy target to be the blaimed person. In life police won't expect that the goody touches did the crime they go after the lesser of people. 

5. Choose your favorite character from the film. Explain why you choose that person.

Would you want to be that person? Why? Why not?
My favorite person is Vincent because he was cute and he had good drive to do him dream job and be apart of GATTACA. I wouldn't want to be him because he could have got in a lot of trouble and probably killed. 

6. At the end of the film, you are told that the Doctor knew about Vincent all along. Why

did the Doctor go along with the fraud? What would you have done if you were the

Doctor?

Because he said that his son had a dream but couldnt do anything because he was invalid. I would have let Vincent go because he was a good person.

7. The technology to do what was done in the movie is definitely possible within the next

fifty years. Do you think that Vincent’s world could eventually happen in America? Why?

I think it could becuase America is always looking for the elite people.

 

8. What do you think is wrong with the society portrayed in "GATTACA"? What is right?
The dividing people because they are not "valid" is wrong but the science is pretty cool.
9. What were the screenwriters trying to tell us through the episode of the 12-fingered

 

pianist? Is anything wrong with engineering children to have 12 fingers if, as a result, they

will be able to make extraordinarily beautiful music?

People always wont the best and will do anything to get it. The 12 fingered pionest was very weird but now days we are getting pretty close to getting it done.

10. You and your spouse are having a child and are at the Genetic Clinic pictured in the

movie. What characteristics would you want for your child and what would you ask to be

excluded? Why would you make those choices?

I would want a smart kid who wont have a proplem learing something, athletic so they could have fun and im not sure what other things I could wan't I guess.

11. Picture yourself as either Vincent, Jerome, or Anton. Would you have acted the same

or done things differently if you were in the same worl

If I was Vincent I would just except the fact that Im not "valid" and just live a sad life.

d as them?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DNA and Central Dogma

DNA we have all seen it and tried to figure out what shape it was and what it is well I have an answer for this question.. DNA has a shape of a double helix which basically is like a twisted ladder. DNA is the genetic material in your body. DNA has four different types of nucleotides two are purine bases (A-adenine and G-guanine) and the last two are pyrimidine bases(T-thymine and C-cytosine). Since DNA is a twisted ladder each purine has a pair: A=T and G=C this is because of hydrogen bonds!!!!

The picture above is an example of DNA but it is flat to show the bonds. In class we did the same activity of building DNA but it looks like the picture above.

After wer learned about DNA we started on Central Dogma. Central Dogma is DNA->RNA->Protein translation. The arrow between DNA and RNA is called transcription. This is where the DNA just passes info to RNA. RNA to Protein translation is where it takes the message and gives it to the Ribosomes for protein. 

Any DNA is the same basic structure. Different DNA like a virus will have the same process of normal DNA. If you take out DNA their is no process thus no Protein. 

This is a picture of notes I took on Central Dogma. 

This is a vocabulary project about central dogma. 

From DNA to Proteins: Key Terms

(Ch. 14 in the Mader Biology Textbook)

Read about and define the terms below. Develop and publish a concept map, flashcard set, or other creative visual aid to help yourself and others learn the connections between these ideas.

Anticodon: Three-base sequence in a transfer RNA molecule base that paris with a complementary condon in mRNA.

Codon: Three-base sequence in messenger RNA that causes the insertion of a particular amino acid into a protein, or termination of translation.

Exon: A segment of a DNA or RNA molecule containing information coding for a protein or peptide sequence.

Genetic Code: Universal code that had existed for eons; specifics protein synthesis in the cells of all living things. Each condon consists nucleotides that make up one of the 20 amino acids found in proteins.

Intron: A segment of a DNA or RNA molecule that does not code for proteins and interrupts the sequence of genes.

mRNA (messenger RNA): Type of RNA formed from a DNA template and bearing coded information for the amino acid sequence of a polypeptide.

Promoter: In an operon, a sequence of DNA where RNA polymerase binds prior to transcription.

Protein-coding Gene: Coding Gene Transcribes into mRNA.

Ribonucleic Acid (RNA): Nucleic acid produced from covalent bonding of nucleotide monomers that contain the sugar ribose; occurs in three forms: messenger RNA, ribosomal RNA, and transfer RNA.

RNA polymerase: During transcription, and enzyme that joins nucleotides complementary to a DNA template.

rRNA (ribosomal RNA): Type of RNA found in ribosomes that translate messenger RNAs to produce proteins.

Transcription: It is the process of transcribing or making a copy of genetic information stored in a DNA strand into a complementary strand of RNA (messenger RNA or mRNA) with the aid of aRNA polymerases.

Translation: Process whereby ribosomes use the sequence of codons in mRNA to produce a polypeptide with a particular sequence of amino acids.

tRNA (transfer RNA): Type of RNA that transfers a particular amino acid to a ribosome during protein synthesis; at one end, it binds to the amino acid, and at the other end it has an anticodon that binds to an mRNA codon.



Std 8 #3

Remebering: What I did in Biology is:

1. What You'll Wish You'd Known
2. Onion Root Cell Virtual Lab and Lab and Meitosis
3. Genetic Organizer
4. My Family Pedigree!!!
5. Greg and Olga
6. Create a baby!!
7. Eugenics in America
8. DNA and Central Dogma

What is important about it:

Each blog was interesting to write and learn whats new in the world of biology and just a new insight of the world of biology.

Applying:

I could apply this in everyday life. Biology is very important with what I want to become. I want be become a nurse practioner so this field of science is essential to medical school. Also I need to take micro biology so I believe this will be a leg up.

Evaluating:

How I did this 3rd quarter was good. I enjoyed all the activites we did like DNA and Mitosis. I really understood those topics, but I have a hard time getting everything from my head to my blogs and portfolio.

Creating:

Next quarter I could put some youtube videos, websites, and just more visual effects to my blogs to give a further explanition of what we are studing.  Also I need to get better at writing in my blogs.





 

Eugenics in America

Eugenics??? Long word huh? Well this is much much more than a word. Eugenics was the social movement claiming to improve the genetic features of humans through selective breeding and sterilization.  In simpler terms this is where people world try to stop the bad genes from continuing on. Which is wrong. This is just another version of making the perfect child.

American Eugenics developed after the civil war and the fast growth of the American Industry. Cities started to expand rapidly and this rapid movment created labor union organizations. With everything moving forward in an industrial world and more and more immagrants came forth to work around the time of WW1. "Social Darwinism" had became the way to explain the socal and ecomimic pyramid. This basicly became survival of the fittest at that time. With this in mind scientists had strong faith that there could be a cure-all in human sociey. This problem created move of Eugenics.

Suprisingly many american's supported the study of Euginics becasue everyone wanted that perfect child. People now days are even trying get the perfect child by trying to find the perfect mate some are even going as far as probing the fetus in the womb to give it blue eyes. (which I thing is wrong, babies are gift and shouldn't be poked and prodded.) Eugenics was passed by social society because everyone was seeking acceptance. Expecially now that immagrants are becoming more popular people wanted to keep the "american" cleanse. People thought it was bad to hang around immigrants. Upperclass americans were like the kings the same with middle class they were thought has the "fit" they were the people who were encouraged to have childern they lower class were sterilized because society thought they were unfit.

Now days we have the perfect baby contest who parents set there baby up in a contest where judges judge if they are perfect. This contest is just wrong. Again something that surprises me is parents "changing" their kid in the womb. Picking blonde hair with blue eyes or picking the perfect sperm or egg to have the smartest, prettiest, athletic etc child.

Eugenics is crazy the more you read the more that surprises you. 

 

Create a baby!!

My partner Morgan and I decided to have a baby together.... Long story short we looked at our facial features to assume what our kids might have. 

Below is a list of traits we have. I decided be the mom and Morgan wanted to be the dad. Haha. By the way we are girls. 

So we flipped a coin to decide what the baby will be and it was a boy and his name is Kegan a mix of morgan and kelsey. 

Basically we flipped a coin to decide what trait was dominate for each of us. In the picture below you can see the out come of trait that came out. This blog post about genetics and how they work and what that they do. Genetics are the part of a person that is found in the DNA. Genes a person get from their mom and Alleles they get from their dad and which one you get is luck and genotypes.  Each genotype has a chance to be dominant and a chance to be recessive gene. Alleles are characterized in letters uppercase letters means that the gene is dominant lowercase letters means it is a recessive gene. With what ever you end up with is mosly likely chance or just genes.

After we finished flipping coins we had to draw what our baby would look like by what our traits look like. This was a really fun and simple project. Below is a picture of our baby. 

KEGAN

Greg and Olga