Unit 6: Patterns of Inheritance.

"It is from the progeny of this parent cell that we all take our looks; we still share genes around, and the resemblance of the enzymes of grasses to those of whales is in fact a family resemblance." - Lewis Thomas, American physician and author of The Lives of a Cell.

"Scientists announced that they have located the gene for alcoholism. Scientists say they found it at a party, talking way too loudly." - Conan O'Brien.

Objective 1:

Gregor Mendel (optional)
Mendel's 1st law
Mendel's 2nd law

Objectives 4 & 5:

Probability (optional)

Objective 7:

ABO antigens (7a)
Rh factor (7c)
Think you know about blood types?  Play the Blood Typing Game and find out! (optional)

Objective 8:

Pleitropy (optional)
You are what your mother eats.(optional)

Objective 9:

Polygenic inheritance (optional)
Genetics of Coat Color in Dogs (optional)
Nice site focused on coat color in the Sheltie (Shetland Sheepdog)
Understand genetic crosses using dog examples
Horse Coat Color Genetics (optional)
Cat Color Genetics (optional)

Objective 11:

Pedigree analysis (optional)

Objective 12:

Phenylketonuria (11d)
Your genes, your health: genetic disorders (PKU, Tay-Sachs, CF, sickle cell, etc.)
How is PKU inherited?

Objective 13:

Is there a gene for gender?
Sex determination in non-humans (optional):
Honeybee sex gene discovered: Sequencing project reveals two different versions make a female, one a male.
Evolution of Sex Chromosomes: The Case of the White Campion - researchers uncover striking parallels in the details of sex chromosome evolution between mammals and a far more distant group: plants.
Y chromosome sequence completed: DNA readout reveals genetic palindromes safeguard male-defining chromosome. (optional)
Platypus sex is XXX-rated

Objective 17:

Genomic imprinting in humans (17b)
Silent Struggle: A New Theory of Pregnancy - New research on genomic imprinting and its evolution ^(optional)
"The most striking case of large-scale genome imprinting involves crosses between horses and donkeys. Cross a female horse and a male donkey and you get a mule. Cross a male horse and a female donkey and you get a hinny, altogether a different creature. Clearly, the same genes act out different roles, depending on whether they come from mom or dad."
The Maternal Grandsire Effect: Secretariat, perhaps the greatest thoroughbred of all time was not matched by his direct offspring, who by and large were unremarkable. His greatness was passed on through his daughters, many of whom went on to produce great performers. ^(optional)
Genomic imprinting (optional): geneimprint.com
Genome biology: She moves in mysterious ways - The human X chromosome is a study in contradictions. The detailed sequence of the X, and a survey of inactivated genes in females, help to illuminate this unique 'evolutionary space'.