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Final Reflection- Module 14

     The overall idea I took away is that evolution is always occurring and there are many mechanisms and conditions that contribute to this. Some aspects can be observable to the eye while others work on a genetic level and make changes that way. Also, the speed of evolution varies, and adaptation is a big part of many populations. One important aspect I learned from the breakout rooms is that there can be multiple perspectives on one topic, and that sometimes there is no one specific answer, especially when hypothesizing about something.      From the R exercises, I learned how different factors such as mating, gene flow, genetic drift, migration, and natural selection impact a population; an important part of genetic diversity is heterozygosity. Even though the coding was difficult at first for me, I am glad I was able to learn this skill set. I was happy when I was able to figure out the coding by myself later in the course. I also learned how importa...
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Tuberculosis- Module 12

     I found it interesting that even though there were many advantages such as more wealth, higher production in goods, emergence of social movements and unions, and advances during the industrial revolution, it also contributed to spreading many diseases such as tuberculosis. Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) is what causes this disease and usually affects the lungs. It is transmitted via tiny droplets through the air as well as sneezing, coughing, and talking. Some symptoms include coughing, lethargy, and chest pain.      In the 18 th century, the industrial revolution was developing in Britain. During these times, people were moving away from the suburbs towards urban living. As the population increased with emerging cities- industries (water, coal, steam) appeared, factories surfaced, and wealth increased; there was still a lack in public health and few developments in epidemiology knowledge. These changes in lifestyle allowed for tuberculosis to easi...
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This Past Year- Module 11

     I want to start off by saying that I do acknowledge that this year has not been the easiest. I know this pandemic has impacted us in many ways and I know people who have been affected by/gotten COVID.  I am still content with some of my experiences this year though.      I have to admit, I did try the quarantine trends such as whipped coffee, trying out new recipes, and Tiger King. I watched a lot of shows and movies this past year! I also made a good amount of pour paintings and some embroidery canvas art. I also practiced mehndi (or henna) designs. One thing I had fun with was that my family and I would play different card games throughout the week. I don’t necessarily do all these things consistently, but they have helped me be occupied and find a way to have fun.      One of my favorite things I did over the summer last year was shadowing and helping at a vet clinic. I had shadowed previously before during winter break, but...
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Pipefish- Module 10

       I do not know much about pipefish, but it does make sense why the females are more brightly colored. In most species, the males have to compete to catch the attention of the females. However, since the females are attracting the males in this situation, their physical features need to be more appealing. Pipefish are similar to seahorses in the sense that the males carry the eggs. As evolution occurs to help adapt to the most valuable trait,  it may just be that females do not have the best resources in comparison to the males.      One possibility I can think of is that the rate of offspring birth is quicker in males than in females. If the babies are able to develop more quickly in males, more offspring will be produced which will contribute to fitness in general. Organisms usually look for and value efficiency, so this may be the most efficient way. Since organisms produce more offspring than can survive, it would allow for natural sele...
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Genetic Variation- Module 8

      A general statement to explain why genetic variation is maintained is because populations are constantly adapting and evolving. Some mechanisms that contribute to that include mutation, migration, and gene flow. Even small differences in the environments of populations cause them to adapt; for example, something small like the variation among the coloring of leaves can cause organisms of the same species to look different in terms of camouflage (being different shades would allow them to be better fit for their respective environments). As we saw in our previous R exercise, the mice varied in the color of their fur depending on if the lived near the coast or more inland. Their coloring and adaptation would vary in their genetic makeup even if it is a slight difference.      With mutations, we know that they produce changes in the DNA. When new alleles are introduced, there is more diversity overall. Since they create new sequences in DNA and mu...
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Kimura's Theory of Neutral Evolution- Module 7

       The one main difference between Kimura’s theory is that it says that changes in evolution are caused by genetic drift rather than natural selection. Kimura found that the protein polymorphisms observed were formed by genetic drift since their function did not change. Another important aspect of this theory is the removal of newly formed deleterious mutations.      The theory of evolution by natural selection is the one that is more commonly heard of. This theory was proposed by Darwin and it states that species change to adapt to their needs by inheriting heritable traits. One main facet of this theory is that it is assumed that more offspring is produced than the amounts that are able to survive.      They are both similar in the sense that they explain how organisms are able to adapt over time. Both theories describe how alleles are integrated. In Darwin’s theory phenotypes are what induce the change; in Kimura’s theory a ch...
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Inbreeding- Module 6.2

       One benefit of inbreeding I can think of is acquiring certain preferred traits. One common example of inbreeding that I can think of is with dogs. When a specific dog breed is wanted or specific traits unique to a particular dog, inbreeding could be used to acquire those. With that, the gene pool would be fairly small and there wouldn’t be many as much genetic diversity. This is when assortative mating would be more common. This is when the preference to choose mates with similar phenotypes increases.      However, inbreeding also comes with many disadvantages. Recessive phenotypes could be more prominent with inbreeding, which could be a negative impact of the recessive trait is damaging. If too many recessive genes are inherited, they will be carriers for varying diseases. With that, there are many underlying health conditions that the animal would be predisposed to.      I guess one factor of inbreeding in terms of evolutio...
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