Genetics is the branch of biology that studies the means by which traits are passed on from one generation to the next and the causes of similarities and differences between related individuals.
Prior to the discovery of genes, scientists knew that something was passed down from parents to offspring, but they did not know how or what. Gregor Mendel’s famous experiments with peas indicated that certain features, such as pea texture and flower color, were passed down from generation to generation. Decades later, scientists discovered that it was DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid—a self-replicating material that carries genetic information) that was passed down and that this DNA came in a specific form called a chromosome. Since the discovery of DNA, we have come to appreciate just how important chromosomes are. We have learned that sperm and eggs carry these chromosomes in order to produce our offspring and that genes located on those chromosomes code for the traits that make us unique. In this course, we will take a close look at chromosomes, DNA, and genes. We will learn how hereditary information is transferred, how it can change, how it can lead to human disease and be tested to indicate disease, and much more. At the end of this course, you will know quite a bit about the most basic units of heredity—the very molecules that make us who we are.
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Give a brief synopsis of the history of genetics by explaining the fundamental genetic concepts covered in this course as they were discovered through time.
- Identify the links between Mendel’s discoveries (often represented by Punnett squares) with mitosis and meiosis, dominance, penetrance, and linkage.
- Recognize the role of simple probability in genetic inheritance.
- Apply advanced genetic concepts, including genetic mapping and transposons, to practical applications, including pedigree analysis and corn kernel color.
- Identify the cause behind several genetic diseases currently prevalent in society (such as color blindness and hemophilia) and recognize the importance of genetic illness throughout history.
- Compare and contrast advanced concepts of chromosomal, bacterial, human, and population genetics.
- Recognize the similarities and differences between nuclear, chloroplast, and mitochondrial DNA.
- Describe the fundamentals of population genetics, calculate gene frequencies in a give scenario, predict future gene frequencies over future generations, and define the role of evolution in gene frequency shift over time.
- Recall, analyze, synthesize, and build on the foundational material to then learn the cutting-edge technological advances in genetics, including genomics, population and evolutionary genetics, and QTL mapping.
