Understanding the Human Genome in the book Genome by Matt Ridley
Genome: The Autobiography of A Species in 23 Chapters by Matt Ridley is an interesting book. It is written in a style that is very casual and very understandable. If someone who knew nothing about genetics or biology were to read this book, they would find it very interesting and informative. Ridley uses basic scientific terms so as not to confuse the average reader.
Ridley, who has a Ph.D. in zoology, is a big supporter of the Darwinian view of the world. He views the genome as a historical documentation of our species from its conception. He describes our evolutionary history. He tells about the mass extinctions that occurred in the past, and that it was by chance our cellular ancestors survived these events. Ridley gives us an insight into molecular biology by choosing one gene from each or our 23 chromosomes and elaborating on it. Along with evolution and microbiology, this book goes into other fields of biology, including medicine and biotechnology.
The book is very educational. I learned about the homeobox genes, which guide the development of the entire human body from a single cell.
I learned that the gene for telomerase is the focus for a discussion of aging and immortality. I also learned that the ethnic differences in the frequency of a particular breast cancer gene are used to describe the relationships among population genetics, prehistoric migrations, and linguistic groups. Also, the gene for the classical ABO blood group is the springboard for a discussion of genetic selection and drift. This book reveals genes that we share with all living creatures and those that are unique to our species. It describes genes that are essential to every cell and then those that seem to serve no useful purpose at all. It tells us about genes that predict disease with complete certainty and those that only tilt the scales.
Ridley seems to focus a lot on behavior and it’s evolutionary background. He writes about the recent evidence of genetic links to memory and intelligence, personality, and language. Ridley sees it as genes and the environment influence the brain.
It is clear that Ridley is a big fan of the Genome Project. He writes with enthusiasm about the rapid advancement and success of genetics.
Bullying is a serious issue that can occur to various people of different age and background. It is considered a serious problem because of the long lasting health problems that comes with it. The many effects of bullying such as, depression and alcoholism can cause changes in our genes which can possibly be passed on to the future generations. In Sharon Moalem’s essay “Changing Our Genes: How Trauma, Bullying, and Royal Jelly Alter Our Genetic Destiny” he discussed about the effects of bullying on the victims and how it causes gene changes. It is important to know how to prevent bullying as the effects can influence a person mentally and genetically which can be passed on to future generations later on.
In 1990, the first great stride of genetics took place. This was called the Human Genome Project, a large-scale operation that was designed to understand the human genome (genetic structure). Since its commencement, there have been many leaps and bounds that have taken place. For certain genetic issues that we once knew nothing about, we no...
The mindset of every living organism is to survive and reproduce. As such, it may be surprising to hear that diseases actually plays a crucial role in the survival of our predecessors. In the book Survival of the Sickest, Dr. Sharon Moalem discusses the role these hereditary disorders played in keeping our very ancestors alive. Three examples mentioned in the reading selection include hemochromatosis, diabetes, as well as favism. All the diseases I mentioned had a specific aspect, to which I found particularly appealing. In the case of hemochromatosis, I found it intriguing how the author used his own life to draw a connection between the two traits. Dr. Sharon Moalem lost his grandfather to hemochromatosis and later was diagnosed with the
...he reader, which creates many questions about the particular subject of genetic engineering. It also conveys the authors idea, that we really need to be careful about what we do with this new scientific marvel, effectively to the reader, thus raising the reader's awareness about genetic engineering.
Darwin: A Norton Critical Edition, Second Edition ; ed. by Philip Appleman; copyright 1979, 1970 by W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
Hall, Linley Erin. “Understanding Genetics DNA and RNA.” New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc., 2011. Print. 01 Apr. 2014.
The second of Tinbergen’s questions Phylogeny looks at the evolutionary explanations of development, as opposed to just how behaviour has adapted, including mutations in response to environmental changes. Some of these mutations remain in species even after necessity has gone, and can influence future characteristics of that species. The third of Tinbergen’s questions looks at Causation,...
Watson, James D. "The Human Genome Project: A Personal View." Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum. 7th ed. Ed.
Anyone with even a moderate background in science has heard of Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution. Since the publishing of his book On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection in 1859, Darwin’s ideas have been debated by everyone from scientists to theologians to ordinary lay-people. Today, though there is still severe opposition, evolution is regarded as fact by most of the scientific community and Darwin’s book remains one of the most influential ever written.
A Genetic Odyssey’ is an interesting movie to watch. There were many thoughts that passed my mind as I watched the movie. First of all, it was interesting to visualize the movie back in the day, assuming how one single man lived in Africa approximately sixty thousand years ago. It is quite amazing to have traced the records so far behind to find that Adam could be the father of homo sapiens after all. The better question arises when there are different sizes, races and shapes to each human being.
Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection explains the general laws by which any given species transforms into other varieties and species. Darwin extends the application of his theory to the entire hierarchy of classification and states that all forms of life have descended from one incredibly remote ancestor. The process of natural selection entails the divergence of character of specific varieties and the subsequent classification of once-related living forms as distinct entities on one or many levels of classification. The process occurs as a species varies slightly over the course of numerous generations. Through inheritance, natural selection preserves each variation that proves advantageous to that species in its present circumstances of living, which include its interaction with closely related species in the “struggle for existence” (Darwin 62).
Ridley, M. (1999). Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters. New York: HarperCollins.
The Human Genome Project The Human Genome Project began in the mid - 1980s as an international scientific mission to map all the genetic material (i.e. genes) in human chromosomes and ultimately build the complete set of genetic information contained within molecules of deoxyribosenucleic acid (DNA) known as the genome. The project aims to improve the methods used to prevent and cure diseases because the keys to many of the worst illnesses of our time, like cancer and diabetes, can be found in genetic variations in DNA. The Human Genome Project is international, and has involved collaborations and contributions from researchers throughout the world, all of whom have donated their results freely to the public databases. It is the largest collaborative project ever attempted in biology, involving scientists in the USA, Australia, Japan, Germany, the UK, Italy, Russia, France, the Netherlands, Canada, Israel and elsewhere. The Human Genome Project aims to: * Determine the sequence of the four bases (adenine, cytosine, thymine and guanine) throughout all the DNA in human cells; * Identify the estimated 100 000 genes formed by the bases; * Find the locations of the genes on the 23 human chromosomes; * Store all this information on databases for future research; * Consider all the ethical, legal and social issues which arise from obtaining information about the human genome.
According to Darwin and his theory on evolution, organisms are presented with nature’s challenge of environmental change. Those that possess the characteristics of adapting to such challenges are successful in leaving their genes behind and ensuring that their lineage will continue. It is natural selection, where nature can perform tiny to mass sporadic experiments on its organisms, and the results can be interesting from extinction to significant changes within a species.
“Our own genomes carry the story of evolution, written in DNA, the language of molecular genetics, and the narrative is unmistakable.” Kenneth R. Miller. The documentary, Journey of Man: A Genetic Odyssey, was based on the journey to finding where everything began, and how the our first generation migrated to new habitats and how we’ve adapted and evolved to live through vast climate changes. Spencer Wells, was an anthropologist and geneticist that believed all mankind was related through genetics and could be traced back to one ancestor.