Mutation rate

Over the generations, ancestors evolved different allele frequencies due to recurring natural selection. In fact, natural selection and mutation were considered the main hypotheses for the sickle gene cell. However, those hypotheses limit in explaining the entirety for the frequency of the HbS allele in human populations around the globe. The complex relationship between the HbS allele frequencies and the level of malaria prevalence support the malaria hypothesis at a global scale and further demonstrate why adaptation or natural selection alone cannot be the factor in explaining allele frequencies. According to Piel et. al. (2010), HbS, known as the sickle hemoglobin, is “a structural variant of normal adult hemoglobin” (p. 2). Piet et al.…

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a cancer of the blood that is common in young children is currently incurable and has a high relapse rate amongst children (between the ages of 1-15 years), specifically boys. To elaborate, this disease is the cancer of white blood cells (WBCs) in which the body (depending on the type of ALL) over produces an abundance of immature lymphocytes in the bone marrow altering the immune system (i.e. the immune system becomes susceptible to infections, improper…

leucine to proline at amino acid position 1544(Ashcroft, 2005). This mutation simply reduce the activation of the channel by stimulatory nucleotide MgADP, as the NBDs sensitivity to this nucleotide is greatly/entirely lost. The failure of the channel activation means the open state of the channel pore is greatly reduced/blocked. This occurs as the inhibitory nucleotide (ATP) would have higher affinity for the channel than the activating nucleotide (MgADP). Closure of the K+ channel leads to…

this disease is very rare, so depending on where the patient might live, they might feel awkward and not accepted by society. A person who is Japanese, yet lives in Japan may be accustomed to this disease because it is far more popular there than anywhere else in the world11, but that may not be the case for everyone. For gender issues, someone with this disorder may have a lower self-esteem based on how they look and how they are perceived by others. For example, many women care a lot about…

mortality rate, but the disease still being common in the population. Also, sickle cell heterozygous individuals have what is called a heterozygote advantage, which in itself is a pretty interesting concept. Also, sickle cell anemia is highly common…

effects of colour mutations in “prey” and vision mutations in “predators”, and their role in natural selection. This means that different materials in this experiment represent real-life organisms and environments. The sand-coloured background represents a sand environment, while the green background represents a grass environment. The individual conducting the experiment is acting as the “predator” (bird) and the tweezers used by this individual is the beak of the bird. The toothpicks are the…

Ovaries play a pivotal role in a women's reproductive system by making the eggs necessary for reproduction. However, like most organs in the body, ovaries can become cancerous, putting a women's life at risk. Ovarian cancer is the 5th leading cause of cancer related deaths in women ages 35-74 years with an estimated 1-2 out of every 100 women developing it at some point in their life (Torpy, 2011). Ovarian cancer is hard to detect and is often found after the cancer has metastasized to a point…

Retaux and Casane, Darwin described these two species as having lost their visual structures and referred to them as eyeless. He did not see these species striving for survival, nor did he claim that adaption was involved. He contributed that the loss of visual structures was because of not using them in the dark. After Darwin’s explanation of regression, two other viewpoints were proposed. One viewpoint suggested that eye loss and loss of pigment in the eyes are the basis of selective neutral…

changes made for various reasons), a mutation has occurred. Failures in replication can be caused by a large number of reasons, but some of the more common examples include incorrect pairing of nitrogen bases and exposure to radiation and certain chemicals. “A mutagen is any agent that changes the DNA of an organism.” An example of a mutagen is a virus because viruses injects their genetic information…

but in sickle cell anemia the red blood cells are shaped like crescent moons, or sickles that leads to the not enough healthy red blood cells which become unable to carry adequate amount of oxygen to the different body organs. Normally the red blood cells are round and flexible moving in an easy way through the blood vessels, in the sickle cell disease the red blood cells are rigid and sticky. These cells of irregular shape may get stuck in the small blood vessels, which can slow down or block…