Download Sample Heredity Study

Name 1
“What is in the Family Genes?”
{Heredity Study}
Name
Biology 10 – 7th Hour
March 6th, 2012
Name 2
ABSTRACT:
Throughout the course of this experiment, I was observing the traits of free or attached
earlobes, the presence or absence of dimples, the second toe being longer or shorter than the first
toe, and the ability to taste PTC paper. As a result, I came to discover that being able to taste the
PTC paper, having free earlobes, having dimples, and have a second shorter than the first toe are
the dominant traits. In my family, however, not being able to taste the PTC paper, having free
earlobes, having dimples, and having a second toe shorter than the first toe were the dominant
occurrences. Nevertheless, my experiment was not completely accurate. For example, I took a
small sample of the population that was all closely related. Therefore, a high variance was
unlikely. Another error would be the fact that half of my subjects were mere children and
toddlers that are still subjected to growth. If I wanted a completely accurate data set, I need to
look at factors such as location, age, and etc.
Name 3
INTRODUCTION:
Many people may actually be surprised to learn that genetics and heredity are not the
same thing. Although, they are closely related. Genetics is “the study of heredity and the
variation of inherited characteristics,” (Dictionary.com), whereas heredity is “the passing on of
physical or mental characteristics genetically from one generation to another,” (Dictionary.com).
Many people may also be wondering how exactly traits are transferred from a parent to an
offspring. First of all, those traits are determined by genes. These genes can be found on
chromosomes and are composed of DNA. The process that takes the trait from the parent and
gives the gene to the offspring is known as reproduction. The offspring receives two genes per
trait. One is taken from the father’s sperm and the other is from the mother’s egg. During
reproduction, the two genotypes segregate, thus resulting in the alleles being in different
gametes, or sex cells. This happens in all organisms. Examples of traits determined through this
procedure include: cleft chins, cheek dimples, hair on second digit of fingers, color blindness,
baldness, and the ability to roll your tongue.
Name 4
BACKGROUND:
Ear lobes can be hanging from the side of your head, (free), or attached to the side of your head,
(attached). Free ear lobes are dominant though. Genes determine what type of earlobe you have
and are composed of chromosomes. Chromosomes have two strands. One strand of a
chromosome belongs to your mother and the other belongs to your father. Ears come in many
different forms though, so the determination of your ear’s phenotype is way more complicated
than just the configuration of your earlobes.
Dimples are little indentations found in your cheeks or etc. “Someone who has dimples
may be thought of as youthful or baby faced, because children are usually associated with them,”
(http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-dimples.htm). However, not everyone has dimples, even if
having dimples is the dominant trait. Dimples are caused by a shortened muscle formation. That
formation is also created by genes. It might actually surprise you to learn that dimples can
disappear with age as your muscles extend.
A “condition” is the likelihood of genes. By having your second toe longer than your first
toe, you have a dominant condition. Nevertheless, some people undergo surgery to get rid of that
trait. This is because those people view a long second toe as a deformity, which it isn’t. Some
people also refer to the second toe as a pointer toe as well.
Being able to detect the bitter taste of PTC paper is the dominant trait. This gene type is
focused on parts of your tongue; it depends on your inheritance of bitter taste receptors.
“However, tasters vary greatly in their sensitivity to PTC,”
(http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/begin/traits/ptc/). This is due to the great variation in the
Name 5
gene field. If you have strong receptors, the taste is stronger. If your receptors are lacking, you
may end up with absolute no taste detection for the paper.
Name 6
METHODS:
To begin an experiment, a person needs a hypothesis. A hypothesis has three parts:
explanation of how you will conduct the experiment, clarification on how you will measure the
results, and a prediction of what will happen. For my hypothesis, I would like to state that I
believe the traits of frees ear lobes, no widows peak, no clefts in chins, Hitch Hiker’s thumb, no
dimples, ability to roll tongue, left hand clasp, second toe longer than first toe, and hair present
on the second digit of fingers are the dominant traits. For my report, I will only be observing the
characteristic of attached or free ear lobes, the presence or absence of cheek dimples, and the
second toe longer or shorter than the first toe. I will conduct this experiment by directly asking
my extended and immediate family members questions about their phenotype. Through this
course of action, I will receive responses that will be taken down as data and serve for future
reference. (The data will consist of a table with a log of names and columns marked “yes” or
“no” for each trait.) Once all my need information is gathered to sum up to 40 piece of data, I
will take the side of the trait that occurs the most and label it as the dominate form (in my family)
for the trait. The control group, [group in an experiment that is exposed to the same conditions as
the experimental group except for one independent variable, (Biology textbook)], will consist of
the person that I am questioning the phenotype on and what trait is being observed. The
independent variable, [factor in a controlled experiment that is deliberately changed, (Biology
textbook)], is the genotype of my family. The dependent variable, [variable that is observed and
that changes in response to the independent variable, (Biology textbook)] is the phenotype of my
family. For further clarification and future reference the variables that I am observing are the
characteristics of attached or free ear lobes, the presence or absence of cheek dimples, and the
second toe longer or shorter than the first toe.
Name 7
DISCUSSION:
To begin this experiment, I conjured up a data set that I wanted to find. This was
established through discovering that I wanted to survey ten people on four different traits. These
traits included the ability to taste PTC paper, the presence of dimples, the hanging status of
earlobes, and the length of the second toe. In my control group, (which were the people that I
surveyed), I discovered the forty percent could taste the PTC paper, thirty percent had attached
earlobes, seventy percent had dimples, and thirty percent had the second toe longer than the first
toe. On the other hand, I got different results from observation focused on surveys taken from
somewhere around the room. (Side Note: Those surveys are subject to change and do not reflect
the world as a whole. However, those surveys more accurately portray the world than mine,
because they include a larger variety of people). Seventy-five percent of the people were able to
taste the PTC paper. Thirty percent of humans had attached earlobes. Eighty-eight percent taken
from a survey had dimples. Ninety-five percent of the population had a second toe that was
longer than the first toe. This evidence helped me to conclude that the dominant traits involve
being able to taste the PTC paper, having attached earlobes, having dimples, and having a second
toe that is longer than the first toe. In other words, my subjects had less than the average count
for being able to taste PTC paper. The percentages for the length of the second toe were off by
sixty-five percent with my subjects having less than the average census yet again and so on.
(Referring back to the Abstract, this is evidence to my experiment containing errors. Moreover, I
could have tested more people to make my results more accurate.)
My experiment was extraordinarily interesting, seeing that my first two subjects just
happened to be the parents to the other eight subjects. The father wasn’t able to taste the PTC
paper, had free earlobes, didn’t have dimples, and had a second toe that was shorter than the first
Name 8
toe. In comparison, the mother was able to taste the PTC paper, had attached earlobes, did have
dimples, and also had a second toe that was shorter than the first one. These traits were the basis
of the traits displayed by the offspring.
Name 9
RESOURCES:
Biology Textbook
My Family
http://library.thinkquest.org/19037/heredity.html
http://www.brighthub.com/science/genetics/articles/41418.aspx
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-dimples.htm
http://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php?topic=24532.0
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/begin/traits/ptc/