Monday, March 7, 2011

Intro Genetics, Biol 210 - Spring 2011

Welcome to the Spring 2011 edition of the INTRO GENETICS course!

This blog is kept for the students' convenience. You can use it as a record of how the class progresses, and occasionally as a a platform for announcements. Feel free to make comments suggesting new ideas or asking questions.

Check out the column on the right, since they contain interesting information about the course and about a few sources of genetics-related information.


Today:

We reviewed the syllabus and started with the first chapter in the textbook: A human perspective on genetics (or, if you prefer, a perspective on human genetics).


Tomorrow:

We will assign groups and topics for the bioethics projects, and will do a basic exercise on pedigree analysis using four traits easily identifiable:
  • Tongue rolling - Roller vs. non-roller
  • Ear lobe - Free vs. attached
  • Thumb - Hitchhiker's vs. straight thumb
  • Hand folding - Left thumb over right vs. right over left
Please remember to find out what are your and your relatives' phenotypes for these traits. The lab guide will be available on the p-drive and the WebCT site.

You will form groups of four people to develop the bioethics projects. You must propose genetics-related topics that are controversial. Topics will be assigned before starting the lab.

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