Cell division

Engineering Genetics? Genetic engineering is when a living cell’s deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is altered to improve it in nearly any way one wishes. Alterations may include: how the cell would look later on in life; tricking it into producing something it normally would not; and/or increasing the amount of resources produced. Even though not everyone agrees with how the research is done on genetic engineering, it does do one thing: it betters our society. Due to research of genetic engineering,…

about being on an organ transplant waiting list for decades, waiting for their inevitable death. Human cloning has allowed us to grow organs, by using skin cells and converting them to stem cells. The nucleus of these stem cells of skin are then replaced into the nucleus and create what is known as a blastocyst, a bundle of hundreds of cells whose purpose is to specialize growing a specific body part, such as an ear. (Knapton). Not only can this help people who are in life-threatening…

Scientists are using stem cells to mess with the embryos they come from and diseases common all around the world. This topic is so popular people feel that “a fixation on it alone has come at the cost of many other important issues being overlooked or, at the very least, under-examined” (Lysaght, Tamra, and Alastair V. Campbell 251). Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that can be transformed into any type of cell (Rebecca). Scientists take these cells to make new cells, tissues, and organs to…

Neurons are only a subset of the billions of cells in our brain, but they are the powerhouse driving everything we do. Common genetic and cellular properties define them as neurons. Beyond these defining features, neurons are heterogeneous in there gene expression, shape, and role in driving behavior (cite Zeisel et al. 2015 and Kamme et al 2003). Even within very homogenous populations such as the pyramidal CA1 neurons, there is significant variation in neuronal properties. This leads to…

Genetically Modified Food Every human being requires food in order to stay alive. The food provides the body with the forces it needs to keep the heart beating, the limbs moving, and the lungs breathing. However, during the last century, scientists have been working in laboratories to create a new kind of food. This type of food is called genetically modified food. Genetically modified food comes from plants that have been altered in laboratories. This technology can be accomplished by moving…

Mendelian inheritance is centered around three laws discovered by Gregor Mendel. First is the law of segregation which states that during the formation of gamete the two allele pairs separate randomly. The second law is independent assortment which states during gamete formation each pair of the allele will segregate independently of the rest of the pairs of the chromosomes. The third law is the law of dominance which is that alleles can be dominant or recessive with the expression of the…

Many people use their phones to take cute family pictures or send a text message to ask someone where they are at. The generations have been changing the ways cell phones are being used. In Moalem’s essay, he states, “Until very recently, we’ve been thinking and speaking about the serious and long-term ramifications of bullying in predominately psychological terms” (Moalem 281). Many children and teenagers are…

In Ronald M. Green’s “Building a Baby From the Genes Up,” Green shares an anecdote, gives his support for genetic modification, addresses opposing arguments, refutes the opposing argument, and finishes with his support for genetic modification. His thesis is because genetic modification is already happening, we may as well embrace it and make it a part of our lives. In the other essay “Genetically Modified Humans? No Thanks” written by Richard Hayes, he addresses Green and his argument right off…

celled microscopic organisms with one strand of DNA. Their life includes consuming nutrients from their environment, growing, and then dividing into two cells. Bacteria are continuously growing and dividing. Bassler continues her discussion of bacteria by classifying humans as ninty to ninety nine percent bacteria. Humans have ten trillion bacteria cells in us or on us at any moment in time. Bacteria creates an invisible layer around our body that keeps harmful threats out so we can stay…

scientific process called the somatic cell nuclear transfer or SCNT. During this process, scientists remove the chromosomes from the egg cell and replace them with the nucleus of a somatic cell which contains two sets of chromosomes. Since the nucleus of the somatic cell comes from a human who already displays genetic variation from their mother and father, the clone will receive both of their sets of chromosomes from one cell, and not from both the egg and sperm cells (“What is Cloning?” 1).…