Monday, March 14, 2011

In Sickness & In Health

In Sickness & In Health
Greg's Family Pedigree
In Greg's family pedigree each generation has one of the two diseases. And in some cases more then one person in that generation has the disease. Myotonic Dystrophy is more dominant in Greg's family then Hemophilia. Although hemophilia is a more dominant gene over the recessive myotonic dystrophy.

Olga's Family Pedigree
However, in Olga's family pedigree myotonic dystrophy never occurs, but hemophilia is very dominant throughout the generations in her family. Which could possibly result in Greg and her's children being positive for Hemophilia.


Greg and Olga, are a couple that went to a genetic counselor. The couple wanted to conceive children, but were afraid to because they had the Factor VIII deficiency, or Hemophillia in there heritage. Both Greg and Olga were terrified that their children could possibly be born with a genetic disease. Both sides of their families carried the disease and it seemed obvious to the couple that no matter what, their children could inhabit this disease.

Dominant Diseases
Although we had been studying genetic deficiencies, this post thanks to the website as well, taugh me alot about genetic diseases. I learned that autosomal recessive diseases skip generations, while autosomal dominant disease don't skip generations. Autosomal recessive diseases are when one mutated allele and one normal gene come together and form. There's a 50% chance of the disease being transmitted. Even if the disease isn't dominant, every child infected will be carriers. In all cases its either the father or the mother who is carrying the disease that has been transmitted.  


Recessive Diseases
Recessive diseases are never inherited directly because recessive diseases are only inherited by the y chromosome. Sex linked genes, can be displayed in men, but not in women, they can only be carriers for the disease. In Greg and Olga's case they both could be a carrier  of the disease, due to the fact that multiple people in their families have the disease. Greg has a higher rate of being a carrier, which can result in him passing this gene onto his sons. However his possible daughters would only become carriers. His daughters could become carriers and easily pass it on to their possible children in the next generation. Genetics is constantly changing, from the smallest ideas to the big picture, but one thing is for certain the advancements made in the future will be those worth remembering!

Monday, February 14, 2011

My Family Pedigree!!! =)

Fun Facts About Chromosomes! =)

Fun Facts! =)

Fact #1:  
     It takes about 8 hours for one of your cells to completely copy its DNA.
Fact #2: 
     If you were to stretch out the 46 chromosomes in one cell and lay them end to end, they will be over 2 yards in length.
Fact #3: 
     If the total DNA in one person were laid in a straight line, it would stretch to the sun and back over 30 times! -93 million mile from here to the sun-
Fact #4: 
     The human DNA code is made up of about three thousand million A,T, C, and G's on each end of a DNA strand.
Fact #5: 
     One thousand nuclei would fit across the period at the end of this sentence.
Fact #6: 
      If the human genome was a book, it would be equivalent to 800 dictionaries.
Fact #7: 
     Humans are 99.8% genetically identical, only 0.2% of our genetic make up differs.
Fact #8: 
     One million threads of DNA could fit across the period at the end of this sentence.
Fact #9: 
      It would take a person typing 60 words per minute, 8 hours a day, for around 50 years to type the human genome.
Fact #10: The nucleus within a cell is so tiny it could easily fit on the head of a sewing pin!

Friday, January 14, 2011

Cloning Mimi the Mouse!!!

Materials Needed:
     - Microscope
     - Petri Dishes
     - Sharp Pipette
     - Blunt Pipette
     - Chemical to Stimulate Cell Division
     - Mice!!!

          To clone Mimi the Mouse the items listed up above are required. Cloning is based on the genetic structure of both parents to create another set of genes in another organism. The organism will therefor be similar in many ways of the parent that provided the egg cell. The first step to this process is to isolate donor cells from Mimi and her mate Megdo. After collecting donor cells you must discard the nucleus from the egg cell. Next, you transfer the somatic cell nucleus into the enucleated egg cell, this stimulates cell division. Finally implantation of the embryo occurs and can be placed in a sergeant mother. And within time the fetus will be born into a new world all due to the process of cloning and reproduction!!!


      My new Mimi and Her Babies!!!!