Understanding nondisjunction and chromosomal anomalies require us to back up all the way and start at the beginning—the very beginning of it all, namely the beginning of life. Fertilization is the combination of a human egg and sperm in order to form what is known as a zygote or a fertilized egg. The fancy term […]
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What is a karyotype? What is a human karyotype? What is your karyotype? Just joking. But we all have a karyotype and all of this karyotype analysis will make sense by the end of this post. Every one of us has a set of 23 chromosome pairs. These chromosomes house all of the genes that make […]
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There are two kinds of genes: dominant and recessive gene. When it comes to which traits or characteristics of each individual will be visible on the outside as a result of those genes, the dominant ones will almost always prevail. I say almost, as there are specific situations in which traits of the recessive genes […]
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Almost everyone has heard of Gregor Mendel and his infamous pea plants. However, fear not if you have not—we’ve got you covered. However, when it comes to the chromosomal basis of inheritance, there were several individuals at play, in addition to Mendel. Though we tend to follow diagrams like Punnett square to predict genotypes of […]
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We always talk about our outward characteristics such as hair color, eye color, height, weight, and skin tone, as things that we have inherited from our parents or that we take after from some member of our family. However, very few of us actually know the process of how those unique characteristics that make us […]
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Expectant mothers have so many questions about the future characteristics of their kids. After all, approximately nine months is a really long time to wait to find out the gender of the baby as well as all the other characteristics. Wouldn’t it be nice to know ahead of time so that one can plan ahead? […]
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By now, most of us are aware of things in our body like red blood cells and chromosomes. But what about DNA? What are DNA sequences, daughter cells, the genetic code, mutations, and cell division? Where exactly is DNA in the cell? In this article, we will fill you in on everything you need to […]
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If you find the concept of DNA and DNA confusing, you are not alone. In fact, many people would agree with you. Not only do the two sound a lot alike, but they are also both made up of nucleic acid, one of the few macromolecules that are vital for life on Earth. The first […]
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You are probably surprised to hear that siblings—even twins—can have different DNA test results on ancestry tests. Like with genes, many people would think that their ancestry and living relatives would all have very similar—if not the same—DNA results. For example, you and your siblings get a DNA kit through the mail for DNA or […]
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Did you know that the DNA molecule is sweet? It sure is. The double helix that contains the most important information in human biology is actually in part made up of sugar. How sweet is that? However, before we get into the sweeter things, let us first cover some biology. The DNA molecule contains genes […]
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