Essay
Essay Unit 22 - Genetics
- Module
- Unit 22 - Genetics
- Institution
- PEARSON (PEARSON)
criteria included - P1, P2, P3, M1, M2. I have achieved the criteria i have stated up to a merit standard.
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Genetics Report:P1: Explain how genetics affect the process of human reproduction from conception to birth.
M1: assess the role of genetics in the process of human reproduction from conception to birth:
Pass is in black, and merit is in purple.
In this section I will be explaining how genetics can influence the processes of human reproduction from
conception all the way to birth. As well as, assessing the role of genetics in the process of human
reproduction from conception through to birth. I am doing this to explore and assess the importance of
genetics in individuals during conception all the way through to birth.
Genes influence everyone’s behavioural and psychological characteristics, including intellectual ability,
personality, and risk for mental illness—all of which have bearing on both parents and children within a
family (National Library of Medicine 2007). Therefore, our genetics play a massive role in human
reproduction. For example, as stated above genes can help to determine everything about ourselves,
including about our offspring. Looking into parental genetics before a foetus is born would be significantly
beneficial because it can help to determine if the foetus is at risk of any long-term/terminal illness before
birth. Such as, if two parents carry the recessive gene that causes Sickle-cell disease, then we would know
to screen the baby for that to ensure that we can improve quality of life through catching it quick by
looking at our genes.
Genetics refer to a branch of biology that deals with the heredity and variation of organisms and the
genetic makeup and phenomena of an organism, type, group, or condition
(Merriam Webster 2022). The role of genetics is extremely important from
conception to birth. This is because our genes make up everything about us,
from health conditions to eye colour, they help to determine everything about
an individual. The structure and composition of Genes is that they are
composed of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), except in some viruses, which have
genes consisting of a closely related compound called ribonucleic acid (RNA). A
DNA molecule is composed of two chains of nucleotides that wind about each
other to resemble a twisted ladder (Britannica 2022). The structure and
composition of genes (DNA) is vital in the role that genetics play in the process of human reproduction.
This is because the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequence completely determines the function of a gene.
This means that our genes/DNA help to make us who we are and determine most things regarding
ourselves.
A genome is the complete set of genetic information in an organism. It provides all the information the
organism requires to function. In living organisms, the genome is stored in long molecules of DNA called
chromosomes (Nature 2014). from this it is easy to identify a Genomes importance regarding human
reproduction from conception to birth. For example, a genome is all the genetic information within an
organism that it needs to function. Without this an organism wouldn’t be able to function which can have a
massive impact.
,A genotype is an individual's collection of genes. The term also can refer to the two alleles inherited for a
particular gene. The genotype is expressed when the information encoded in the genes' DNA is used to
make protein and RNA molecules (Genotype 2022). Genotypes refer to genes that are inherited between
different generations, this is different to a phenotype
because they are characteristics that you can observe, such
as, hair colour. From this we can identify the importance
because a genotype is the genetic make-up of an individual
and can be used to describe a genome or just a gene. It is
also important because an individual’s genotype can help to
have an influence over their phenotype. Genotypes are also
important in determining the role of genetics in human
conception because they can help to determine different health conditions that a foetus may have. For
example, if the parents carry a recessive gene of Cystic fibrosis, then we may be able to assume that the
foetus’ genotype may involve Cystic Fibrosis. It can also help to determine different health
conditions/prevent them, such as, if an individual’s parents have type 1 diabetes, then we would be able to
assume that the offspring could also have a genotype for type 1 diabetes, this can help us to keep an eye
out for signs and prevent it for as long as possible to ensure health and wellbeing. A Phenotype is an
individual's observable traits, such as height, eye colour, and blood type. The genetic contribution to the
phenotype is called the genotype. Some traits are largely determined by the genotype, while other traits
are largely determined by environmental factors (Genome 2022). In summary, a phenotype is the genes
what make up how an individual appears on the outside and genotypes determine what an individual’s
inside characteristics are. However, genotypes also have an influence over an individual’s phenotype.
Phenotypes are important in the process of human reproduction from conception to birth for several
reasons. For example, without phenotypes then we would not be able to determine how an individual may
look, this is because phenotypes can be passed down through generations. Meaning that, according to an
individual’s phenotype they should resemble one or more of their family members.
Inheritance is a process which involves the passing on of material
property from one generation to another, usually within the
family, generally from older parents (donors) to their adult
children (heirs), which is completed after the death of the older
generation (National Library of Medicine 2010). All our genetic
make-up is passed down from our parents, whether that be a
predisposition for a specific health condition or the way we look,
such as hair colour or even eye colour. Inheritance is important in human reproduction because it can
determine several different things about ourselves. For example, you inherit characteristics and traits from
our parents through our genes, such as, the way that we behave and the way that we look. It is also
important in human reproduction because we inherit all our genes from both our mothers and our fathers.
Chromosomes are thread-like structures in which DNA is tightly
packaged within the nucleus. DNA is coiled around proteins called
histones, which provide the structural support. Chromosomes help
ensure that DNA is replicated and distributed appropriately during cell
division (Healio 2022). Individuals have 23 pairs of chromosomes or 46
individual chromosomes. However, individuals can have chromosomal
disorders, such as, Turners or Downs syndrome where the number of
chromosomes an individual has can differ to the average amount that
an individual has. Chromosomes play a vital part in human reproduction because it is important that an
individual has the correct number of chromosomes, otherwise they could end up with physical health
conditions such as, Down syndrome. Down syndrome (sometimes called Down's syndrome) is a condition
in which a child is born with an extra copy of their 21st chromosome — hence its other name, trisomy 21.
This causes physical and mental developmental delays and disabilities (Health Line 2015).
, Deoxyribonucleic (DNA) is the chemical name for the molecule that carries genetic instructions in all living
things. The DNA molecule consists of two strands that wind around one another
to form a shape known as a double helix (Genome 2022). DNA is important
because it contains the instructions needed for an organism to develop, survive,
and reproduce. To carry out these functions, DNA sequences must be converted
into messages that can be used to produce proteins, which are the complex
molecules that do most of the work in our bodies (Genome 2019). Our bodies
contain millions of DNA which are over a metre long and every individual’s DNA is
unique to them. So therefore, they are important in human reproduction because
they make a baby/individual unique, DNA is inherited from an individual’s parents. DNA can determine our
genotypes as well as our phenotypes.
Heredity is defined as the characteristics we get genetically from our parents and our relatives before
them. An example of heredity is the likelihood that you will have blue eyes. An example of heredity is your
possibility of having breast cancer based on family history (Your dictionary 2022). We can use heredity to
be able to prevent specific diseases that an individual may be at risk of getting due to heredity, this can
improve health and wellbeing. Cognitive abilities can also be hereditary It is a well-known finding that
cognitive abilities are heritable: depending on the age of the sample, the estimation method used, and the
type of cognitive ability assessed, genetic differences between individuals account for between
approximately 20% and 70% of the variance in cognitive abilities (Journals Plus 2018). Mental health
conditions, such as, bipolar disorder and Schizophrenia can also be hereditary. It's also thought bipolar
disorder is linked to genetics, as it seems to run in families. The family members of a person with bipolar
disorder have an increased risk of developing it themselves. But no single gene is responsible for bipolar
disorder (NHS 2022). You're more likely to get schizophrenia if
someone in your family has it. If it's a parent, brother, or sister,
your chances go up by 10%. If both your parents, have it, you
have a 40% chance of getting it (WebMD 2020). Heredity can be
extremely important in determining all these things. It also plays a
vital role in human conception because it can allow an individual
who is trying to get pregnant or is pregnant determine things about their baby. There are several ways that
this could be done, for example, a Punnett square. A Punnett Square is a helpful tool that helps to predict
the variations and probabilities that can come from cross breeding. This includes predicting crossing plants,
animals, even humans with each other (CSU east bay N.d.)
Genetic coding refers to the instructions in a gene that tell the cell how to make a
specific protein. A, C, G, and T are the "letters" of the DNA code; they stand for the
chemicals adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T), respectively, that
make up the nucleotide bases of DNA (Genome.gov, 2022). A genetic code shared by
diverse organisms provides important evidence for the common origin of life on
Earth. That is, the many species on Earth today likely evolved from an ancestral
organism in which the genetic code was already present (Khanacademy.org, 2022).
DNA is made of chemical building blocks called nucleotides. These building blocks are
made of three parts: a phosphate group, a sugar group and one of four types of
nitrogen bases. To form a strand of DNA, nucleotides are linked into chains, with the
phosphate and sugar groups alternating. (Genome.gov, 2019).
Natural Conception or Natural Pregnancy is a complicated affair. It is the result of a perfect orchestra of
ovulation, egg pick by the fallopian tube, sperm reaching the egg at the right time and the fertilized egg or
embryo reaching the uterus and embedding into the wall of the uterus at the right time
(Cloudninefertility.com, 2021). Not having a natural conception and a woman having to use treatments,
such as fertility medications, can have an impact on human reproduction. This is because there have been
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