DNA Sequencing

We were studying DNA Sequencing and learned about how to read part of a DNA sequencing gel, you go from the botom of the gel, up, reading each separate band in the order that they occur. Each band is under a certain letter, and then you write the letter it's under. We practiced this by reading the sequencing gels of 3 different patients, and comparing them to someone named Norm's gel. Norm has the DNA sequence of an average person, so we found the percentage of each person's sequencing that was the same as Norm's. People who are to far off, have a good chance of disease, as compared to people who are very similar to Norm.

Norm was used as the control in this experiment. All of the people in the above graph were compared to Norm. Norm himself wasn't on the graph but the numbers shown for each person shows the percentage of their DNA Sequencing that is the same as Norms.  In order to find the percentage similar, we took the the number of DNA that was the same and divided it by the total DNA, then multiplied that number by 100 to get the percentage. We grouped the the DNA into groups of 3. They're were 33 different bases making 11 groups. Each group could then be used to determine a protein sequence.  There is a good chance that Carol has a disease because of the genetic flaw. Bob and  Abby however are similar to Bob, and have a better chance of living without a disease. Abby had the closest Protein sequence, then Bob, and then Carol had the worst compared to Norm.

DNA

DNA or Deoxyribonucleic Acid is the Nucleic acid that contains the genetic material that makes us all who we are. The strands of DNA are in the shape of a double helix. The reason it's in the shape of the double helix, is because the outside strands of the DNA are polymers called nucleotides, with sugers and nitrogenous bases running perpendicular to them and connecting between them with hydrogen bonds in the middle. It is also these bonds that make DNA replication possible. DNA is found in the structures called chromosomes. It's in cells and whenever a cell reproduces, it splits the DNA down the bond in the middle so that both cells have DNA. Then the cells copy the rest of the DNA based off of what is left of the DNA, making a perfect copy of the strand of DNA that was there before. Both of the daughter cells then have the DNA. The phosphates that are in the middle are always paired up with certain other phosphates. They have an order, and aren't just randomly paired together. That process is known as DNA Replication.

Eugenics/Baby Lab

Eugenics is the study of improving genetics in humans. They improve the genetics using selective breeding, and try to get rid of any bad genes by not reproducing them. Scientists believed that anyone with a disease that is hereditary should be sterilized as to not pass down the bad genes. Eugenics was a very big thing during the 20th century, but largely died down after world war 2. Genes are passed down from chance. For example if someone with a gene Rr has a kid with some rr, then the odds of having a kid that's Rr is 50% and the odds of them having rr is also 50%. You make a Punnett square, to determine the odds of what the kid will get. If there is the dominant trait with the recessive, the dominant will be shown. That's why eugenics is about eliminating a gene they don't want. If they only want the dominant gene then they'll sterilize anyone who has only the recessive gene, to cut down the chances of the recessive gene being spread. When did the baby lab. We looked at the traits both the parents had then made a Punnett square to see which combinations were possible, then flipped a coin to determine which trait each of the parents passed on. If both me and my parter were Cc then we'd both flip a coin, If i got heads, then I'd pass on C and if my partner got tails they'd pass on c. So the kid would have the Cc gene. Almost all of it is about chance
Eugenics was started because most people believed that the fittest and healthiest people were the ones who should have children, so in order to make sure of it, people wanted to eliminate a bad gene from the gene pool. People believed that society had already spent enough money supporting people and there diseases, and that sterilization would be a much better solution to the problem. Some people however believed that it wasn't genes that caused the problems, and that it was a person's environment that can have a big impact on their behavior and defects. At the first international congress in 1911, Punnet said, “Except in very few cases, our knowledge of heredity in man at present is far to slight and far too uncertain to base legislation upon.” He believed that we did not have enough knowledge of genetics to justify sterilizing people. In 1942, a law was passed that the involuntary sterilization of criminals was legal. Then eugenicists tried to stop interracial mariage, and believed that a white person shouldn't be able to marry someone that has any blood in them other than caucasian, however that idea was shot down.
Eugenics has had a big influence through out society, and discourages being ok with the fact that everyone is different from each other. Even Hitler, quotes Eugenicists a lot. He wanted all white, blonde hair, blue eyed people. Hitler had an thorough knowledge of eugenics and how it worked. Eugenics have had a big influence over people now a days and how they act around people that are different.

http://www.eugenicsarchive.org/eugenics/
https://people.creighton.edu/~idc24708/Genes/Eugenics/History%20of%20Eugenics.htm