Genetics is the branch of biology that deals with the transmission and variation of inherited characteristics, particularly chromosomes and DNA.
2
votes
1answer
51 views
Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium: To compute probability of finding two siblings (random mating)
I've been working a little with M. G. Bulmer's Principles of Statistics (Dover, 1979) and cannot see how to properly compute half of one question. This should be a basic probability computation, but I ...
2
votes
1answer
42 views
What is the point of being selection-free?
I'm reading "Highly efficient endogenous human gene correction using designed zinc finger nucleases" by Urnov et al. They propose a way to use zinc finger proteins for gene therapy. They repeatedly ...
2
votes
1answer
42 views
Historical recovery from mass extinction events
Is there a way to generally characterize how species "regrew" after the various mass extinction events happening periodically from 450 Ma to 65 Ma. Would the surviving species just start back where ...
2
votes
1answer
72 views
Have there been any experiments that duplicate chromosome copies from 23*2 to 23*3 or 23*4?
Deinococcus radiodurans is an amazing bacterium with a fantastic survival rate. It can survive to high doses of radiation, in a complete vacuum and in hydrochloric acid.
How does this bacterium ...
2
votes
2answers
40 views
DNA replication Okazaki fragments
I understand multiple origin bubbles; DNA polymerase only synthesizes DNA from 5' to 3' and all that. But what I don't understand is why it has to be in fragments. Yes, DNA is anti parallel, and so ...
2
votes
0answers
55 views
Papers linking telomeres and aging [closed]
I'm currently writing a piece of work about telomeres and aging, and wondered if you could share some good papers you've either read or know of.
1
vote
3answers
1k views
Evolutionally speaking, why do humans have 46 chromosomes
In humans, each cell normally contains 23 pairs of chromosomes, for a total of 46. Monkeys, chimpanzees, and Apes have 24 pairs (twenty-four pairs), for a total of 48.
What caused humans to have 46?
...
1
vote
1answer
55 views
Two brown-haired people have two children, P and Q. P has blond hair. Q has brown hair. What is the probability that Q is heterozygous?
Two brown-haired people have two children, P and Q. P has blond hair. We therefore believe that each parent is heterozygous and that blond hair is a recessive trait.
Q has brown hair. What is the ...
1
vote
2answers
41 views
Which X-Y chromosomes have the developmental genes for mammals?
I know that for a given mammal, half the chromosomes come from father and half from mother. This is typically denoted as x-y. I've recently read about "toolkit" genes that control how a cell develops ...
1
vote
1answer
46 views
How are geneticists able to isolate gene functions?
As an example, this Scientific American article describes a known area in the dog genome that metabolizes carbohydrates.
How is it that researchers are able to determine specific functions such as ...
1
vote
1answer
23 views
What is solid-phase bridge amplification?
During Illumina sequencing there is a step called bridge amplification by which DNA is amplified by isothermal enzymes. What is this stage, and how does it work?
1
vote
1answer
57 views
How do circulating androgens contribute to higher rates of hirsuteness in some women?
I was reading up on ethnic groups in which the women are naturally more hirsute (such as South Asian women) in the context of evolving standards of beauty. I came across this statement on a forum:
...
1
vote
1answer
9 views
Is there any source for raw data of SNP genotype frequency?
On sites like SNPedia, some pages contain the frequency of the SNP in question in different populations, based on published research. I'm trying to write a script that takes 23andme data and compares ...
1
vote
1answer
21 views
Mapping a mutation to known SNP, 3' UTR, miR
I've parsed out a very large TCGA cancer ssm (single mutation file) file to give me the essential information.
The ssm is in the following format:
...
1
vote
2answers
20 views
How did the activities of protocells become inheritable?
I have learned that first a protocell came to exist and its characteristics came to be passed on by genetic material. So how come genes for all the activities come to incorporate into genetic ...
1
vote
1answer
33 views
Low complexity region and relaxed selection
I'm reading a text (Wagner, 2007) on identifying positive selection. In paper, the author says that low complexity regions are known to be associated with relaxed selection. I'm trying to understand ...
1
vote
0answers
39 views
Can mammals from different species reproduce?
I'm curious on how genetically different can two animals be in order to reproduce. Could they belong to different species?
One example is the mule which is the offspring of a donkey and a horse, in ...
1
vote
0answers
84 views
Extreme examples of protein translation/use coupling/decoupling?
What are known extreme examples of protein translation/effect coupling/decoupling? For example, examples of proteins that are immediately used at the time the have been translated and vice versa, ...
1
vote
0answers
34 views
How many pandemic H1N1 2009 virus sequences were submitted by the Indian NIV as of May 10, 2010? [closed]
The handout I was following is maddening. It says; "Go to the NCBI home page and select 'All Resources (A-Z)' and choose GenBank. Follow the NCBI Flu Resource link to determine how many pandemic H1N1 ...
1
vote
0answers
70 views
How to find Dmax (genetics problem) [closed]
My attempt: I'm not sure this is right but this is what i did. I found the allele frequencies to be:
A=0.4
B-0.3
a=0.1
b=0.2
I think to find Dmax I just multiply the two alleles with the larges ...
0
votes
1answer
140 views
Why is offspring of identical twins not identical?
When identical twins marry identical twins, the children of the couples will be full genetic siblings but why are they not genetically identical?
0
votes
1answer
77 views
How many nucleotide pairs code one gene?
As I know three nucleotide pairs (triplus) code one gene. But I have found next information in the "Molecular biology of the cell" by Bruce Alberts:
Mycoplasma genitalium: it has only about 480 ...
0
votes
2answers
406 views
Autosomal Recessive Trait when skipping one generation
I learned recently that given a pedigree it is possible to tell whether a disease is autosomal recessive by observing if the trait skips a generation. If the disease does skip a generation, then the ...
0
votes
1answer
22 views
Definition of Dye- Reduction Test?
Can some one give a simple explanation or definition on what a dye-reduction test is.
0
votes
1answer
51 views
TCGA data, and bioinformatics design questions for SNP/ mirna analysis
It's my first time posting to this forum but was looking for some help on the data aspects of this project.
My tools of choice would be in python/R .
Goal: I'm looking to create a disease specific ...
0
votes
0answers
26 views
Recombination-based vs. Sequence-based genetic mapping
Now that sequencing is becoming increasingly cheap, what is the value of recombination-based genetic mapping against the sequence-based genetic mapping?
I think that in the past recombination-based ...
0
votes
0answers
70 views
why genetics R&D advances so slowly? [closed]
I'm aware this question may sound stupid but I'm wondering why the research & development in genetics is advancing so slowly compared with the IT world. Is it a problem of funding , ethics, ...
0
votes
0answers
73 views
What is the canonical reference text for genetics terminology? [closed]
If I were looking for a reference book focused on genetics in order to look up terminology, what would be the canonical text?
-1
votes
1answer
211 views
Are there examples of the green beard effect in humans?
Green-beard effects are genes that:
Produce an effect that can be detected
Produce preference to others with the same effect
Are there any examples of this in humans?
