Microscope Lab Day + Extra Credit + Your Inner Fish/ New World Example

Today in class, we did a lab using SUPER DUPER high tech microscopes.

First, we looked at a dead flea:

Note: not my picture. http://cdn.orkin.com/images/fleas/flea-exterior-interior_1162x1248.jpg. 

Then, we looked at some skin cells from James' cheek.

Next, we looked at a plant with a drop of water.

Finally, we looked at a slab of algae from saltwater.

The point of the lab was to get used to the microscopes and observe plant and skin cells.

Extra Credit:

This is the answer to the problem that was emailed to us.

Key:
BB = black Lab, no chocolate gene 
Bb = black Lab, carries chocolate gene 
bb = chocolate Lab, no black gene

Yellow is produced by the presence of a recessive epistatic gene which has the effect of masking the the black or chocolate genes.
EE = no yellow gene 
Ee = yellow carrier but apears either black or chocolate 
ee = yellow Lab

So....
EEBB =Basic Black (BB)
EEBb =Black that carries Choc. (Bc)
EeBB =Black that carries Yellow(By)
EeBb =Black that carries Yellow and chocolate (Byc)
eeBB =Yellow (Yy) [does not carry chocolate]
eeBb =Yellow that carries Chocolate (Yc)
eebb =chocolate pigmented yellow ~ No Black Pigment (NBP)
EEbb =Chocolate (CC) [does not carry yellow]
Eebb =Chocolate that carries yellow (Cy)

From: http://www.blueknightlabs.com/color/coatcolor.html

Because:

In the picture, it is about half of the puppies black, and half of the puppies chocolate, so the punned square above would make sense.

Embryology:

Embryology is the comparing of embryos. Species, such as salamanders, chickens, and fish, look completely different as adults, but look very similar as embryos.

http://www.nature.com/nrg/journal/v7/n11/images/nrg1918-f2.jpg 

Scientists use these embryos to discover the similarities within different species.

"Limbs as different as bird wings and frog legs looked very similar during their development" (99).

Embryology in Today's World

Embryology is used to help parents that cannot conceive naturally, conceive.

It previously had been a tedious and error-ridden job. However, new technology, called IVF Technology, has been created to make this job easier, faster, and more effective. 

Eeva (Early Embryo Viability Assessment test) is an example of this technology. The €100,000 Eeva is really new technology, as the first birth occurred today using its technology.

Here's a picture of the happy couple:

Embryology Manager Tony Price said of Eeva: “The main advantage of this technology is that we are able to identify embryos which have an extremely low chance of advanced development, and these can be excluded from use in treatment.”

IVF systems will continue to be used and make artificial conception a cheaper and more effective option in the future.

http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/10873585.Baby_is_first_to_be_born_in_Southampton_using_new_IVF_technology/

Genetics Test Day

The test went well... Yeah.

Final Day of Genetics

Today, we reviewed what we learned last class and took a short quiz on it.

Then, we learned a new concept called pedigrees.

Basically, pedigrees use symbols to determine who carries what gene for certain illnesses. Here is what a pedigree looks like:

After, we did some pedigree practice problems and that was it for this class.

Genetics Day 3

Today, we learned of different types of genetics, such as: Incomplete Dominance, Sex-Linked Crosses, and Medical Disease Inheritance.

Incomplete Dominance:

Incomplete Dominance is when one allele is not completely dominant over another allele. Here is an example: Yellow fur in guinea pigs is represented by: C^Y C^Y, White is represented by C^W C^W, and Cream is represented by C^Y C^W. Say a white guinea pig crosses with a white guinea pig, and produces all white guinea pigs. Cross a cream guinea pig with a cream guinea pig. Determine the phenotypic ratios.

Here's how you do it:

Simply use the foil method.

So then, you just convert the genotypes to phenotypes.

1 yellow : 2 cream : 1 white.

Sex-Linked crosses

Sex linked crosses are crosses that pass down traits through a sex chromosome.

Here is an example of a problem: 

Red  eyes is dominant over white eyes.

Red = R

White = r

Cross a homozygous red-eyed woman with a white eyed male.

Females are XX and Males are XY. Thus, because males don't have 2 X's, they can only have 1 half of an allele. Here is how you solve this problem:

So then you end up with 2 red-eyed females and 2 red-eyed males.

Medical Disease Inheritance

This has or so with blood types.

O, written as i, always is recessive.

A is written as I^A, AB is written as I^A I^B, and B  is written as I^B.

Blood type A can either be I^A or I^A i.

Blood type AB is the same as above.

Blood type B can either be I^B or I^B i.

Blood type O is I^O I^O or ii.

So here's a sample problem:

A mother has a blood type A, her daughter has blood type AB, and her son, blood type O.

What is the mother's blood?

Answer: I^A i, because without the i, then the son would never be able to have the blood type O.

That's it for this class.

Genetics Day 2

Today, we took a quiz on mono-hybrid crosses then went over di-hybrid crosses. This occurs when there are 2 genes involved in the cross. Here is an example of a di-hybrid cross problem. A heterozygous running, heterozygous white fur rabbit crosses with a homozygous running, homozygous brown fur rabbit. Determine the genotypic ratios. R = running r = waltzing. W = white w= brown. 

First, you can use Dr. Fitz's or Mr. Quick's way.

Here is Mr. Quick's way:

Then, you take each square from the left and combine them with all four from the right.

RRWw RRWw RRww RRww

RRWw RRWw RRww RRww

RrWw RrWw Rrww Rrww

RrWw RrWw Rrww Rrww

So the genotypic ratios would be:

4 RRWw : 4 RRww : 4 RrWw : 4 Rrww

Or 1:1:1:1

That was all for the di-hybrid cross class.