Some of you have rather sophisticated knowledge of genetics, but some of you don't. Please ask you questions here about basic genetics. Don't forget to watch the videos I posted on myTMC.
From The New York Times: ‘Imbeciles’ and ‘Illiberal Reformers’
“Imbeciles” examines one of the darkest chapters of progressive reform, and “Illiberal Reformers” looks at the perils of intellectual arrogance in dealing with explosive social issues.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/20/books/review/imbeciles-and-illiberal-reformers.html?mwrsm=Email
This is related to the history of eugenics we discussed last week. It is a book review, but you can read about the context, which is the part that is most related to class. Comment on the connections you see between what's discussed in the review and what we've been discussing in class.
So, I have not done much with genetics. I remember learning a little in a bio class in high school. Everything we have discussed so far makes sense. I do have a question, but it is regarding the legal side of things. Are there any rules/laws to genetics? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThe biggest thing I see that we have discussed in class is the "Forced Sterilization" I feel like there is always someone telling people what to do and people need to be able to make their own decisions regarding their life and how they live it. The review also relates to class because it shows how many different view points are presented and in class we do the same thing. The review does a good job of showing the effects of what the sterilization caused emotionally to the people involved in the case.
ReplyDeleteI have a pretty good passing knowledge of genetics from the various science classes I've taken over the years. This review relates to our classroom discussion by addressing one of the major issues that the study of genetics brings up, namely, if we can find the genes that govern things like healthiness, sight, hearing, strenght, ect., why not make ourselves better? And, by extension, why not simply get rid of those who aren't genetically up to snuff? This review demonstrates the misguided attempt at eugenics, the practice that is referred to above, by the various medical institutions of the United States. It shows how the practice of eugenics, or the attempt to maximize the "good" genes in a population can have horrific consequences.
ReplyDeleteWould maximizing "Good" genes create "Designer" babies?
DeleteYes. Because different people define "good" in different ways, they would always be trying to change something in the genes to fit their personal definition of good, which would lead to designer babies.
DeleteI do not really know that much about genetics. I haven't taken that much biology at all. I can tell you (maybe) some differences between plant and animal cells but that may be it. As far as other exposure, I know several people that are products of IVF and several people that have underwent IVF, but that is about it for me.
ReplyDeleteI do not really know that much about genetics. I haven't taken that much biology at all. I can tell you (maybe) some differences between plant and animal cells but that may be it. As far as other exposure, I know several people that are products of IVF and several people that have underwent IVF, but that is about it for me.
ReplyDeleteI do not know genetics in depth, but I do know about the make up of DNA from taking A&P. I have not taken many biology courses either. When I think about genes, I picture the attributes that I got from my parents or grandparents. For example, I have my dad's eyes and my mom's smile. I have often heard of IVF growing up due to family and friends having trouble getting pregnant. But that is overall what I know about genetics.
ReplyDeleteThe most I remember about genes from high school is the fact that we all have them and they help to make us who we are. When thinking about genes, I see how tall people will grow or what color a couples' child's eyes will be when they have a baby.
ReplyDeleteWith discussing eugenics, the state of Virginia thought that they were improving the genetic quality of the human population. According to Cohen, "eugenics back then was a movement of people who believed themselves to be inherently superior." They thought that since they were superior that they could decide who was in need of sterilization based of if they passed a test that considered them to be feeble-minded. The book review is about Buck vs. Bell where Carrie Buck is considered to be feeble-minded, therefore her daughter is also considered to be feeble-minded. They did not take into account of how she got pregnant or how her life was before she dropped out of school, but judged her based on how her mother was and if she could pass a test that 47% of more than a million recruits during WWI had also failed. They were saying that the intelligence of the person was genetically passed on, but were not taking the environmental factors into consideration.
ReplyDeleteI am not an expert on genetics but I have taken biology earlier in college to provide a solid background of the basics. Genetics is complicated though and a lot of questions are created in my head during the discussions we have in class. However, one question I can remember at this moment can clear up some curiosity. Are scientists pushing to further genetic research into cloning or is that discussion just at idle because it is scientifically possible? And when was the first time they knew it was possible to clone organisms?
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about your question, it was one of mine as well. I don't know it if it possible to clone, but why would we need to clone humans? I understand maybe objects or plants or whatever. But people?
DeleteI took genetics and molecular genetics back to back last year when I actually wanted to be a geneticist/etiologist. I actually did my sophomore bio lit project on the etiology of PCOS. Since then I have changed my career path but I still get very excited when talking about genetics. This section is my favorite that we have discussed so far.
ReplyDeleteI don't really know much about genetics when we first discussed about it, but now that we have done research I'm a little more informed than I was. However, one question I do have is why we have to go deeper into genetics to were it is not helping the world, like cloning, but rather stick to the parts where we find out how to minimize diseases or change the genetic makeup to better the outcome of the individuals life.
ReplyDeleteI believe you should have a question mark at the end. But it is interesting on how it seems as if people will not stop nor quit when it comes to cloning and stuff like that. I wish I could answer this question but I just do not know.
DeleteGenetics, genetics, genetics it is pretty interesting. I love the multiple discussions that can be based around genetics. My question is how can one brother or sister look alike and have the same parent but be so different when it comes down to a certain skill or talent?
ReplyDeleteI do not know a lot about genetics but the video we watched in class helped further my knowledge in the subject. I like Keith's points about this discussion. Why not make ourselves better? If we have the ability to I think we should better ourselves for the future.
ReplyDelete"Making ourselves better" is a lot easier said than done. Remember, DNA is located in the nucleus of a cell, and modifying DNA would consist of changing the specific base sequence of DNA. Even if we were to change it, there are still many effects that are unknown about it. Also, our DNA more than 99% similar to every other human on the planet. Finding the small differences that make us unique would be hard enough, changing them would be even harder.
DeleteGenetics isn't my forte, however, from what I do know, I think there's a certain stigma to genetics and fertilization. Between XX and YY, chromosomes and finding out what genes controls certain aspects that make up the body. Eradicating the mutated genes that form to create disabilities in humans. This would create a way to prevent future disease and mental illness. I also see that people are sometimes judged for what they choose to do, (IVF etc..) when they're just ultimately trying to have a family with their own body.
ReplyDeleteI would say I am pretty comfortable with the field of genetics because of Genetics class and all of the cross overs in my biology classes at Thomas More. Even though I am comfortable with it, the field of genetics is continually expanding, my knowledge needs to keep expanding with it.
ReplyDelete