ASSIGNMENT 1: Background

Biotechnology allows the use of living organisms or their processes for human needs or purposes. Currently, this topic includes such general examples as cloning, stem cells (adult, umbilical cord, and embryonic), DNA fingerprinting, biological warfare, bioremediation, genetically modified organisms, vaccines, and transgenic plants and animals to name a few. In this assignment, you will explore specific examples of biotechnology applications.
Assignment Details

Part 1: Biotechnology is the use of a living thing or any part of a living thing to make a product or process that improves human life. For this part of the assignment, discuss the following:

• What are some of the examples of biotechnology that have made improvements to your life?

• Describe how one of these has made your life better.

• Do you have any concerns with biotechnology? Explain.

Part 2: In 2008, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved food derived from cloned animals. In addition, these products will not need to be labeled as "cloned" or "from clones" (Black, 2008). The FDA explains that you will not be eating the clone itself. It takes thousands of dollars to clone a food animal such as a cow or pig. Animals that are cloned for improved food production will be used for a breeding program to produce many offspring with the desirable traits for increased meat or milk yield. These offspring of the clones will be fair game for food. Discuss the following:

• Do you think there are differences between a clone and a "normal" animal?

• How do you feel about eating a cloned animal?

• Is your opinion of eating a cloned plant different?

ASSIGNMENT 2: Using the Laws of Inheritance

Gregor Mendel's studies laid the foundation for modern genetics. In a series of elegant experiments, Mendel was able to deduce the most fundamental laws of single-gene and multiple-gene inheritance without having the scientific data on chromosomes, their structure, or meiotic segregation. In this lab, you will learn about and apply examples for 3 different patterns of human inheritance of traits.
In this lab, you will view information and complete activities to answer the following questions about genes and inheritance:

• What is a Punnett Square? How can it be used to analyze possible genetic outcomes for offspring?

• What is dominant/recessive inheritance?

• What is X-linked inheritance?

• What is codominant inheritance of genes?

Assignment 3:

Title: Lab to Determine the Outcome of Heredity

Instructions: You will fill out the Punnett squares and answer a set of questions for each exercise.

When your lab report is complete, submit this document to your instructor in your assignment box.

Using what you learned on the lab animation (and the images below), you will fill in the following Punnett squaresand answer the questions that follow:

Exercise 1: Color Blindness

A. Choose the parental gametes, and align these in the correct positions around the Punnett square. (Type in the correct gametes. Pink are the female gametes, and blue are the male gametes. XC is the gene for normal vision, and Xc is the gene for color blindness.)

B. Choose the correct genotype of the progeny to fill in the Punnett square. (Type the correct genotypes in the boxes.)

Question Answer

What is the genotype of the mother?
What is the genotype of the father?
What are the possible phenotypes of their children?
What is the probability of the color blind trait in female children and the probability of the color blind trait in male children?

X and Y genes code for male and female gender. XX is female and XY is male. Why is XcY color blind, but XcXC not color blind? Can an XcXC female pass the color blind trait to her children?

Exercise 2: Freckles

A. Choose the parental gametes and align these in the correct positions around the Punnett square. (Type in the correct gametes. The pink are female gametes, and the blue are male gametes.)

B. Choose the correct genotype of the progeny to fill in the Punnett square. (Type in the genotypes.)

Question Answer

What is the genotype of the mother?
What is the genotype of the father?
What are the possible phenotypes of the children?
What is the probability of freckles in their children?
Freckles in humans are inherited by which pattern: dominant/recessive, incomplete dominance, or codominance? Why does the mother have freckles, even though she has a gene for no freckles? Why does the father have no freckles?

Exercise 3: Blood Type

A male has Type A blood,and a female has Type B blood. Could they have a child with Type O blood? Demonstrate how this is genetically possible by filling out the Punnett square.

Choose the correct parental gametes from all of the potential blood type gametes below, and align these in the correct positions around the Punnett square. (Type in the correct gametes. The pink are female gametes, and the blue are male gametes.)

A. Choose the correct genotypes of the progeny, and fill in the Punnett square. (Type the correct genotypes into the boxes from the possible genotypes shown below).

Question Answer

What is the genotype of the mother?
What is the genotype of the father?
What are possible phenotypes of their children?
What is the probability of Type ABblood in their children?
Ms. Johnson is suing her former husband for potential child support payments for her 2-year-old child. Mr. Johnson's attorney forcefully denies the fatherhood of his client, stating that the child of Ms. Johnson has blood type O, while the blood type of Mr. Johnson has Type A blood. The lawyer claims that Mr. Johnson cannot be the father of a child with Type O blood. Is the attorney right? Why or why not? Explain your answer.