Your mission this week is to do some work about cool, unusual, or especially threatening traits that are passed from parent to offspring.
Please do some research, then share what you find with us here.
Have fun!
Monday, January 18, 2010
Weekly Report #6 - Cool Traits - Period 1
Your mission this week is to do some work about cool, unusual, or especially threatening traits that are passed from parent to offspring.
Please do some research, then share what you find with us here.
Have fun!
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Here is what I found:
I learned many interesting things about traits and how they are passed from parent to offspring. Your entire physical appearance is based on the traits you got from your parents, your eye color, the shape of your nose, even the color of your hair. One cool thing I learned is that if your parent is double-jointed (hypermobility syndrome), it is likely that the child will be double-jointed as well. I also learned that pattern baldness is dominant in males, and recessive in females. This is because of the X chromosome in males. For a female to get the same pattern in balding as men, they would need this defect on two X chromosomes. Another interesting trait that can be passed on from your parents, is the length of your toes. If your second toe is longer than your big toe, it's most likely because your parent's toes are just the same way.
One especially threatening trait I learned about is cancer. If one of your parents had cancer, it puts you at higher risk of developing cancer. Another type of life-threatening genetic traits, are addictions. While it mostly depends on the environment around you, if someone in your family had or has an addiction such as alcoholism, it puts you at greater risk for developing that addiction. In fact, many diseases are passed from parent to offspring. Including: autism, down syndrome, cystic fibrosis, and dementia, and hundreds more.
A trait that I found cool was athletic ability. Most people think that athletic ability comes from experience, practice and the environment that you grow up in, and that’s partially true. There are specific genetic genes that help athletic ability too.
Genes will also give people more or less muscle, lung capacity, flexibility, endurance, and muscle reaction time. Another thing that’s determined by genes is the ability for your muscles to effectively use oxygen to make ATP, which helps the muscles contract and move. That can help people much more to be an athlete because they could be built better and more fit more for that certain sport.
In some cases, if an athlete knows the kinds of genes that they have then it can help them excel in athletics more because they’ll choose a sport that will fit them.
Although athletic genes help, you don’t need them. People do just fine without good genes to help them; they just practice more to build up muscle and stamina. So overall, athletic genes help, but aren’t necessary.
Something that I found out was a trait was Tourette Syndrome. I had heard about it before but it turns out it is actually a trait that is passed down through genes. Tourette Syndrome is when a person, usually a child, will get tics. Tics are a small, repetitive, twitch, sound or movement that some scientists think is caused by a problem with how nerves communicate in the child's brain. To actually have TS means that you have many different physical tics and at least one vocal tic. If you do not have these then you would only have chronic tic disorder, which means that you have had a tic for longer than a year.
Under stress, the conditions of Tourette Syndrome can get more severe. When TS gets more severe however, it only means that there may be a different tic, more tics, or getting the tic more often, and sometimes when you get the tic it could last longer. Some tics can be simple, when just one small group of muscles has the tic, or complex, when the tic can even be harmful to the person, like head banging or involving another person. So although some people with Tourette Syndrome can have very small, almost unnoticeable tics, some people could have loud outbursts, or even hurt themselves.
A life threatening trait that can be passed on from parent to offspring is Hemophilia. Hemophilia is a rare bleeding disorder where your blood doesn’t clot normally.
People that have Hemophilia bleed for a longer time than others when they are injured. People with Hemophilia will also bleed internally, especially in areas like knees, ankles, and elbows. This bleeding can damage organs and tissues and can be very life threatening.
This disorder is usually inherited and passed from parent to offspring through genes. People that have Hemophilia are lacking a blood-clotting protein that helps platelets stop you from bleeding when you have an injury.
There are two types of Hemophilia. Hemophilia A and Hemophilia B. Hemophilia A is when people have low levels of the clotting factor (the proteins that aid platelets with clotting) VIII (8). Most people that have Hemophilia have Hemophilia A. Hemophilia B is when people have low levels or clotting factor IX (9).
Hemophilia can be mild, moderate, or severe, depending on how much clotting factor is in the blood. 7 out of 10 people that have Hemophilia A have the severe form of the disorder.
A trait/disease that I learned is passed from parent to offspring is cystic fibrosis. Cystic fibrosis is a life threatening disorder that damages the lungs. It affects the cells that produce mucus, sweat, and saliva. Cystic fibrosis occurs when an abnormal gene messes up a protein that is in charge of salt in and out of the cells. This results in thick and sticky buildup of mucus in certain respiratory passageways. It can be passed from parent to offspring when both parents have a family history of the disease. If both parents have a family history of the disease, then each of their offspring has a ¼ chance of getting the disease. This was interesting to me, because I didn’t know the technicality of diseases being passed from parent to offspring, and this information was all new to me. I also learned that doctors and scientists have yet to find a cure for cystic fibrosis, so testing of the disease in familys with that kind of history is important.
The genetic disorder i chose is Narcolepsy. Narcolepsy is genetic chronic sleep disorder. It is classified as an EDS (excessive daytime sleepiness). Narcolepsy causes sudden sleepyness, falling asleep at random times. Narcolepitics often have trouble sleeping during the nightime, and fall asleep frequently during the day. Its often confused with insomnia. Narcoleptics fall asleep very quickly and within 10 minutes, are in a stage of sleep where they have rapid eye movement and dreams. A typical person has this in about 30 minutes. Another problem narcoleptics face is Cataplexy, a muscular weakness. The muscles in the head and face will often loosen, and relax automatically. Vision is also impared at this time. The cause of Narcolepsy was not discoverd for many years , until scientists discovered that it is linked with genetic conditions. This has to do with chromosome 6. Neurons produce a certain protein called Orexin A. This genetic disorder causes a lesser amount of neurons produced, causing less Orexin A proteins, which regulates eating and sleeping patterns.
The trait I chose was male pattern baldness. You get baldness from your mother. What happens is You have 23 chromosomes that determine all this stuff, then you have the X and Y chromosomes. These determine gender. Your mom automaticlly puts in an X, but your dad can put in an X or a Y. If it's a Y, you are a boy. If it's an X, you are a girl. Since there is no second X in male genetics, there is no backup, or dominant trait, to cover up the baldness.
A threatening trait that I found was hemophilia. Hemophilia is a recessive trait that is not very common. Hemophilia is conditions were your blood doesn’t clot there for if you get a tiny little cut it will not stop bleeding. So it is a very dangerous condition. Not lots of people have the recessive trait hemophilia so it only really runs in families. The Czar’s had hemophilia running through their family and tried to hide it from the Russian public. It is a very dangerous and life threatening recessive human trait.
Dwarfism
Dwarfism is a genetic disease but it can occur without being genetic. Dwarfism is a disease that causes a person to be shorter than four foot ten. Dwarfism is hard to tell just by looks given that different races vary in average height so that effects the eight you have to be to have this disease effect the race. The only sure fire way to see if you have the disease is to be genetically tested for the disease. The most common form of the disease is Achodroplasia which occurs in seventy percent of dwarfism cases. This disease causes shorter limbs, greater curvature of the spinal Colum and distorted skull growth. It is a mutation of the fibroblast growth factor receptor gene 3 which regulates bone growth. Another of the more common cases is Growth Hormone Deficiency which makes the body produce less growth hormone. If you experience this disease you hit puberty later if not never. It can even be caused by stress.
The trait that I did was woolly hair syndrome. Wooly hair syndrome is a rare structure of the scalp hair. The curls have an average of .5 cm in diameter and lie very closely together, which makes it very difficult to comb. The curls of the woolly haired people seemed to merge. The also hair is more fragile than normal hair. Woolly hair doesn’t grow fast or slower than normal hair, but the hair doesn’t grow very long. The hair grows in an axial rotation, which is the cause of it. The hair texture resembles sheep wool, but the hair color can be normal. Woolly hair syndrome was found first by a European family in 1908.
Picture: http://www.thetech.org/genetics/images/ask/woolyHair.jpg
The trait I chose was Bipolar Disorder. Bipolar Disorder is one of many versions of a medical condition called Depressive Disorders. When you have Bipolar Disorder you go through very extreme mood swings. These mood swings are put into two categories, Mania (Highs) and Depression (Lows). Symptoms of Mania are: Racing speech and thoughts, Increased energy, Decreased need for sleep, Elevated mood, Exaggerated Optimism, Increased physical and mental activity, Excessive irritability, Aggressive behavior, Impatience, Poor judgement, Reckless behavior and Difficulty concentrating. Symptoms of Depression are: Loss of interest in usual activities, irritable mood, loss of energy, Feelings of guilt or worthlessness, Sleeping too much or inability to sleep, drop in grades, inability to concentrate, Inability to experience pleasure, Inability to eat or overeating, Anger, Worry, Anxiety and Thoughts of death and suicide. Bipolar disorder tends to run in families, so scientists are trying to find the genes that increase the chances of a person getting bipolar disorder. This illness is very serious and that's why it's dangerous that it passes down through genes.
The trait I chose was STD's. STD's actually means sexually transmitted disease. The part about this is that you can get these from your parents. You can get these genetically. Some of the STD's are chlamydia and gonorrhea. You can be a carrier for these diseases but never really get the symptoms. The problem with this is that you can infect others and possibly cause their offspring to become carriers. These diseases can be minor or cause death if not treated. It is easier for men to become carriers because we have x and y chromosomes while women have 2 x chromosomes which means both parents have to have the STD.
The trait I was looking at was blood types. I focused on the recessive form of the trait which is blood type O. Blood type o is very important especially O- which is considered the universal blood type which means that every one can obtain it. But for every good thing there is a bad thing. Blood type O- can only get blood from other people that have blood type O-. Lately scientists have been finding certain blood types that except O- can have harmful if not life threatening risk on the immune system and nervous system. Here is the link to a chart of the blood types. It shows who can donate to who and who can except what.
http://www.nzblood.co.nz/site_resources/library/Images/Blood_Group_Compatibility.gif
only about 7% of people have blood type O-. So it makes it hard to come around. While many people have blood type O they can not donate to people with o-. If someone with O- negative needs blood they have to get it from someone else that has O-. The trait for blood type is carried on chromosome 9 and 19.
The trait I studied is the sickle cell trait and sickle cell disease. Sickle cell disease is an inherited disease. Sickle cell disease, (sickle cell anemia) is a disorder that affect the bodies red blood cells.
Sickle cell disease affects more than 72,000 Americans, mainly those who are African by ethnicity. Sickle cell disease is lifelong, it may result in serious health problems.
The sickle cell trait is a condition in which there is one gene for the formation of sickle hemoglobin and one gene for the formation of normal hemoglobin. People with the sickle cell trait can lead normal lives. One out of every ten African Americans has the sickle cell trait.
Hemoglobin-
AA- Normal hemoglobin type.
AS- Sickle Cell Trait
SS- Sickle cell Anemia
Passing on of the genes-
If one parent has the sickle cell trait, there is a 50% of the offspring have the sickle cell trait. If both parents have the sickle cell trait then there is a 25% possibility of the offspring having sickle cell disease.
People who have sickle cell trait should try to not have offspring with others with sickle cell trait. People who have sickle cell trait can have offspring with a person with normal hemoglobin and not have to worry about offspring have sickle cell disease.
Color Blindness
Color Blindness is in out genes, there is no cure.
Color Blindness is a recessive trait. Color Blindness is the inability to see the difference between colors. Color Blindness is mostly genetic but it can also happen because of eye, nerve, or brain damage. It can also happen because of exposure to different chemicals. John Dalton wrote the first scientific paper on color blindness in 1798. Some people that are color blind have an advantage to normal color vision. Being color blind doesnt mean you cant see colors. Some people think that color blindness is evolutionary.
Musical Ability
Musical ability could be passed down genetically. A medical geneticist named Irma Jär¬velä from the University of Helsinki and her peers studied 224 family members who were active or professional musicians, or were related to any professional or music players. Each family member was given tests that tested their musical talent. Järvelä tested the subjects to see if they could decipher the differences between pitch and the continuation of two tones. With no musical training, over 50 percent of the family members scored at a professional level.
Järvelä found that lots of DNA sequences were associated with musical ability. The quivering hair cells in your inner ear might be associated with different kinds of genes that are entwined. These entwined genes might be codes for a protein that could be involved in translating neural signals. Irma Järvelä also discovered that musical ability and language development could be connected to a gene linked to dyslexia.
Type 2 Diabetes
Type two diabetes can be passed down genetically in families if a family member has Type 2 Diabetes. Glucose is needed to make energy for the body. With Type 2 Dibetes, the body does not make enough insulin or the body cannot use the insulin correctly. Insulin is made up of glucose, and if glucose builds up in the blood in stead of going to the cells where they are needed, it can cause some serious complications.
A trait I learned about is Huntington's Disease. Huntington's Disease is passed on by genetics and usually occurs when you are middle aged. Some symptoms are; clumsiness, speech is slurred, trouble swallowing and eating, trouble with memory and judgment, tics, and lack of concentration. People with Huntington's Disease may also develop mental disorders like Bipolar Disorder. When people develop the disease early on, they can have repeated seizures.
The trait I looked at was personality traits. Your personality is determined by the traits you get from your parents auch as you may be rebellious, trublesome, caring, or thoughtful(not even clsoe to all of them) if one of your parents had a certin personality. Each trait has a positive and a negative side and your parents genes effect which one you get. Even though your parents may have a different personality than you it may have been that you got the recesive version of the trait if both your parents had it and it just got hidden. Genes also decide your attributes, social endowments and your skills. As you can see genes decide who you are on the outside and inside.
The genetic disease I studied is called polycystic kidney disease, PKD for short. Polycystic kidney disease is the most common life threatening disease known and effects 1 out of 500 people regardless of sex, race, age or ethnic origin. For people with PKD, fluid filled cysts grow on the kidneys and over time these cysts get bigger and multiply, often eventually leading to kidney failure. PKD can also cause cysts in the liver and problems in other organs. The offspring of a parent has a 25% chance of getting this genetic disease if both parents have history of it in their family. There is a 50% chance of getting it if one parent has it themselves.
A Gummi bear (also spelled as gummy bear) is a small, rubbery textured confectionery. The candy is roughly 2 centimetres (0.79 in) long and shaped in the form of a bear. The gummi bear is one of many gummies, distinctive and popular gelatin-based candies that come in a variety of shapes and colors.
I Looked up genetic personality traits. The topic is very interesting because there are a wide variety of factors affecting these "traits." The environment is the main thing that effects the way you act, but many different genes are involved in this, making it uneasy to study this field. A very good argument behind this is that identical twins and fraternal twins usually develop to be very similar people. There is evidence that two twins who never knew each other can both become the same kind of person, like firefighters, militarymen/women, etc...
Scientists can't easily study this field because of the multitude of genes affecting this. They don't know how these affect each other or other genes. The environment has a huge impact on the way someone might act.
The short answer to the question, "do genes affect personality directly?" is, yes. Somebody's appearance is because of genetic information and that effects the way a person acts. A naturally huge man has more chances of becoming an NFL Superstar than a small one. Despite the fact that there are other genes that affect this, scientists know that there are genes directly built towards personality. An animal's instinct is personality and that is genetic, too.
This field is very large and hard t "map out." But it is clear that Genes have a direct effect on somebody.
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