Topic 1

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Topic 1

:  High Altitude Adaptation. In the recorded interview (1)*, Emilia Huerta-Sanchez describes some research her team conducted. Watch the video, then address the following issues:

  • (a) What data did they collect, who did they collect it from, and what were they looking for?
  • (b) Which gene was implicated as a gene associated with high altitude adaptation, and what does it do?
  • (c) Why do they think that the high incidence of this gene in populations who live at high altitudes is due to natural selection?

Topic 2 [reading]: Co-evolution of rattlesnakes and squirrels. Read at least one of the following articles (2)* and/or (3)*, and then address the following issues:

  • (a) How do squirrels adapt to rattlesnake venom?
  • (b) How do rattlesnakes adapt to squirrel’s defenses against rattlesnake venom?
  • (c) What do the results of this research tell us about evolution?

Topic 3 [reading];  Resistance to Rodenticides in Wild Rat Populations. Refer to the ‘Digging into Data’ box on page 216 of the textbook.  Review the situation and the address the following:

  • (a) In which town do you think that past application of the rodenticide bromadialone was most intensive?  Explain.
  • (b)  Suppose that a group of rodenticide-resistant rats hitches a ride on a grain truck from Olfen to Ludwigshafen, where they start to breed with the Ludwigshafen rats.  Which of the following concepts (genetic drift, gene flow or founder effect) is most applicable to this situation?
  • (c)  Make a prediction about the future status of rodenticide resistance in Ludwigshafen after the hitchhiker rats from Olfen arrive. Explain.

Part A Question1)

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Part A Question1) What are metatherian mammals? What are distinguishing characteristics of metatherian mammals?

Extinct mammals, they are very few living. Metatherians, which comprise marsupials and their closest fossil relatives, were one of the most dominant clades of mammals during the Cretaceous and are the most diverse clade of living mammals after Placentalia. The only living metatherian mammals are the marsupials. There were some extinct metatherians that were not marsupials, such as the Sparassodonts, but as these have gone extinct, a metatherian is now just a synonym for a marsupial Metatherians belong to a subgroup of the northern tribosphenic mammal clade or Boreosphenida. They differ from all other mammals in certain morphologies like their dental formula, which includes about five upper and four lower incisors, a canine, three premolars, and four molar. In metatherians, marsupium is present which is required for carrying the infants

Part A Question2) Describe the biogeography of metatherian mammals.

Part A Question3) Using the following websites choose one extant (currently living) metatherian (marsupial) mammal species. Conduct research about the species. Discuss and analyze the species’ anatomy, ecology, and life history. Write a species account of at least 300 words correctly citing the reference source(s) you used. Scientific names are comprised of the genus (capitalized) followed by the species name (not capitalized) and they are italicized. For example, Ornithorhynchus anatinus.

1. Your findings from collecting preliminary client information

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1. Your findings from collecting preliminary client information

2. Client level and the reason for choosing this level

3. Limiting factors

4. Outcome goals

5. Behavior goals

6. Which assessments you will record and why/how you will incorporate the results

7. Your recommended nutrition and supplement plan

8. What (if anything) your client will need to discuss with his or her physician

9. Referrals to your professional network (if needed)

10. Proposed appointment scheduling including:

a. Frequency
b. What you will discuss at each appointment

11. A plan of action if you observe a plateau

12. A plan of action if your client changes his or her goals

Be as detailed as possible in your plan.

 What is one specific example that she provides to reinforce her claim that these interests and stories have been present in our society much earlier?

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What is one specific example that she provides to reinforce her claim that these interests and stories have been present in our society much earlier?

· The author also claims that, in our everyday lives, we all exhibit a morbid curiosity about death and murder. What are some of the small ways, mentioned by the author, that we show this strange interest? (Consider the section that begins, “This is why pearl-clutching articles about the ‘true crime boom’ annoy me so much.”) Can you think of any other daily behaviors or attitudes that display our predilection for topics such as serial killers and wrongful convictions?

· Telfer continues by arguing that current changes in media have also influenced this “boom.” What types of modern technologies, according to the author, have promoted the growth of true crime programming? Who specifically does the writer hold accountable for this production increase (i.e., the consumer or the creators)? Do you agree with her? Why or why not?

· Lastly, do you watch true crime? Why or why not? Whether or not you enjoy these shows, explain why you think that America loves to hear about these disturbing tales

Trial 1 – Meiotic Division Without Crossing Over Beads Diagram:

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Pre-Lab Questions

1. Compare and contrast mitosis and meiosis.

2. What major event occurs during interphase?

Experiment 1: Following Chromosomal DNA Movement through Meiosis

Data Tables and Post-Lab Assessment

Trial 1 – Meiotic Division Without Crossing Over Beads Diagram:

Take pictures of your beads for each phase of meiosis I and II without crossing over. Include notes with your name, date and meiotic stage on index cards in the pictures. Please use the lowest resolution possible so that your file does not become too large to submit.

Insert pictures here:

Prophase I

Metaphase I

Anaphase I

Telophase I

Prophase II

Metaphase II

Anaphase II

Telophase I

Cytokinesis

Trial 2 – Meiotic Division with Crossing Over Beads Diagram:

Take pictures of your beads for each phase of meiosis I and II with crossing over.  Include notes with your name, date and meiotic stage on index cards in the pictures.  Please use the lowest resolution possible so that your file does not become too large to submit.

Insert pictures here:

Prophase I

Metaphase I

Anaphase I

Telophase I

Prophase II

Metaphase II

Anaphase II

Telophase I

Cytokinesis

Post-Lab Questions

1. What is the ploidy of the DNA at the end of meiosis I? What about at the end of meiosis II?

2. How are meiosis I and meiosis II different?

3. Why do you use non-sister chromatids to demonstrate crossing over?

4. What combinations of alleles could result from a crossover between BD and bd chromosomes?

5. How many chromosomes were present when meiosis I started?

6. How many nuclei are present at the end of meiosis II? How many chromosomes are in each?

7. Identify two ways that meiosis contributes to genetic recombination.

8. Why is it necessary to reduce the number of chromosomes in gametes, but not in other cells?

9. Blue whales have 44 chromosomes in every cell. Determine how many chromosomes you would expect to find in the following:

i. Sperm Cell:

ii. Egg Cell:

iii. Daughter Cell from Mitosis:

iv. Daughter Cell from Meiosis II:

10. Research and find a disease that is caused by chromosomal mutations. When does the mutation occur? What chromosomes are affected? What are the consequences?

11. Diagram what would happen if sexual reproduction took place for four generations using diploid (2n) cells.

Experiment 2: The Importance of Cell Cycle Control

For each of the five abnormalities you find online, copy and paste a picture of it (and be sure to cite the URL for the picture)—you will not be photographing your own results for this section of lab, because you’re doing your research online for the questions below.

Data Tables and Post-Lab Assessment

1.  [paste in your online picture and cite the URL]

2.  [paste in your online picture and cite the URL]

3.  [paste in your online picture and cite the URL]

4.  [paste in your online picture and cite the URL]

5. [paste in your online picture and cite the URL]

Post-Lab Questions

1. Record your hypothesis from Step 1 in the Procedure section here.

2. What do your results indicate about cell cycle control?

3. Suppose a person developed a mutation in a somatic cell which diminishes the performance of the body’s natural cell cycle control proteins. This mutation resulted in cancer, but was effectively treated with a cocktail of cancer-fighting techniques. Is it possible for this person’s future children to inherit this cancer-causing mutation? Be specific when you explain why or why not.

4. Why do cells which lack cell cycle control exhibit karyotypes which look physically different than cells with normal cell cycle.

5. What are HeLa cells? Why are HeLa cells appropriate for this experiment?

(a) How does the DNA in the synthetic organisms differ from DNA in naturally-occurring microorganisms?

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Topic 1 [videos]:  It’s parent was a computer file. Watch the short video about organism with the synthetic chromosome that was created at the Craig Venter Institute (1)* and the video about the “streamlined” version that organism(2)*.   Subsequently, answer the following:

  • (a) How does the DNA in the synthetic organisms differ from DNA in naturally-occurring microorganisms?
  • (b) What do you think we’ve learned from these experiments?
  • (c) In your opinion, what are the inherent risks of this research to human health or to the environment, if any?

Topic 2 [article]: Transcriptomes. The complete set of all DNA in a cell is called the genome. The complete set of all the mRNA in a cell is called the transcriptome. Read the following article about the transcriptome (1)*, then address the following:

  • (a)  What does the transcriptome tell us that we can’t get from the genome?
  • (b)  If we compare the transcriptome between cells that have completely different functions in the body, how do you think they would compare?
  • (c) Explain how this concept relates to our lesson on gene expression from Chapter 7.

Topic 3 [research]: Patent protection for BRCA genes. On the Internet, read one or more articles about how the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) ruled in the case of Association for Molecular Pathology versus Myriad Genetics. In your answer, you must give credit to your source(s). Your answer must address the following:

  • (a) Describe some of the major reasons why the plaintiffs objected to Myriad’s patent on the breast cancer-related genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2.
  • (b) Describe the SCOTUS ruling regarding naturally-occuring DNA sequences, as well as their ruling regarding DNA sequences that do not exist in Nature.

Note: the rulings of lower courts are NOT of interest for our purposes. Please concentrate only on SCOTUS’s ruling. The objective here is to emphasize the precedent-setting ruling of the highest court (SCOTUS), rather than to recount the litigation history. 

  • (c) What is your view on the issue of whether we should allow human genes to be patented?