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Problem 1
Describe Mendel's conclusions about how traits are passed from generation to generation.
Problem 2
Write a brief essay that discusses the impact of recombinant DNA technology on genetics as we perceive the discipline today.
Problem 3
What is the chromosome theory of inheritance, and how is it related to Mendel's findings?
Problem 4
Define genotype and phenotype. Describe how they are related and how alleles fit into your definitions.
Problem 5
Given the state of knowledge at the time of the Avery, MacLeod, and McCarty experiment, why was it difficult for some scientists to accept that DNA is the carrier of genetic information?
Problem 6
Contrast chromosomes and genes.
Problem 7
How is genetic information encoded in a DNA molecule?
Problem 8
Describe the central dogma of molecular genetics and how it serves as the basis of modern genetics.
Problem 9
How many different proteins, each with a unique amino acid sequence, can be constructed that have a length of five amino acids?
Problem 10
Outline the roles played by restriction enzymes and vectors in cloning DNA.
Problem 11
What are some of the impacts of biotechnology on crop plants in the United States?
Problem 12
Summarize the arguments for and against patenting genetically modified organisms.
Problem 13
We all carry about 20,000 genes in our genome. So far, patents have been issued for more than 6000 of these genes. Do you think that companies or individuals should be able to patent human genes? Why or why not?
Problem 14
How has the use of model organisms advanced our knowledge of the genes that control human diseases?
Problem 15
If you knew that a devastating late-onset inherited disease runs in your family (in other words, a disease that does not appear until later in life) and you could be tested for it at the age of 20, would you want to know whether you are a carrier? Would your answer be likely to change when you reach age 40?
Problem 16
Why do you think discoveries in genetics have been recognized with so many Nobel Prizes?
Problem 17
The Age of Genetics was created by remarkable advances in the use of biotechnology to manipulate plant and animal genomes. Given that the world population reached 7.5 billion people in 2017 and is expected to reach 9.7 billion in 2050, some scientists have proposed that only the worldwide introduction of genetically modified (GM) foods will increase crop yields enough to meet future nutritional demands. Pest resistance, herbicide, cold, drought, and salinity tolerance, along with increased nutrition, are seen as positive attributes of GM foods. However, others caution that unintended harm to other organisms, reduced effectiveness to pesticides, gene transfer to nontarget species, allergenicity, and as yet unknown effects on human health are potential concerns regarding GM foods. If you were in a position to control the introduction of a GM primary food product (rice, for example), what criteria would you establish before allowing such introduction?