...Heredity Heredity is the transmission from one generation to the next of factors that determine the traits of offspring. Although successful breeding of plants and animals was practiced by humans long before modern civilizations were established, there is no evidence that these early people understood the nature of hereditary factors or how they are transmitted through reproduction. EARLY HISTORY One of the early Greek philosophers, Pythagoras (582-509 BC), postulated that all traits of an offspring are derived solely from its father's semen. Aristotle thought that females also produce semen and that the embryo is formed by a fusion in the uterus of both types of semen. He further postulated that both male and female semen are produced by the body's blood. Leeuwenhoek Until the 17th century, European medical schools taught that hereditary factors in the semen were derived from vapors emanating from each body organ. However, Anton van LEEUWENHOEK observed human semen through his microscope and reported finding "animalcules." It became generally accepted that sperm were the actual carriers of hereditary factors from males to their offspring. Other biologists studied the ovaries of animals, noted the presence of swollen bodies--which they correctly assumed contained eggs--and hypothesized that these eggs were also units of transmission of hereditary factors. Epigenesis Some biologists of the 17th and 18th centuries believed that they saw miniature individuals...
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...Heredity and Hormones BEH/225 February 6, 2013 L Heredity and Hormones Heredity and hormones work jointly to influence behavior. They both influence human behavior but from very different aspects. Heredity is qualities, traits, and characteristics passed from generation to generation through genes. Whether a person has blue or brown eyes tall or short these are things passed on through heredity, however it is not just the physical attributes that can be inherited from generation to generation, intelligence and personality traits and behavior can be inherited also. The nature vs nurture plays a role in heredity as well because even though some behavior is inherited environmental factors can have a major influence on human behavior. The environment can mold human behavior and can also reinforce heredity which contributes to behavior. The heredity aspect of human behavior is so delicate and complex that is more difficult to understand or describe. Hormones approach on the influence of human behavior is not as subtle as heredity. Hormonal changes can cause physical changes especially in stages of adolescents for girls in boys. Hormones can cause changes in men and women. Hormonal changes can also cause certain behaviors to occur such as depression and aggression and a series of other things that can be responsible for causing psychological disorders. Hormones make it easier to measure the influences it has on behavior then heredity is. The endocrine system plays a major...
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...How do hormones function in our bodies? What are hormones? Do you know anything about genetics? These questions and more will be discussed in detail in the following essay. Hormones and heredity are two very different things; the only thing they have in common is that they both start with the letter “H”. Let’s break them down individually for a better understanding of what they are and how they are related to our bodies. The endocrine system plays a key role in helping to coordinate and integrate complex psychological reactions. The endocrine glands release chemical substances called hormones that are carried throughout the body by the bloodstream to help regulate bodily activities. Hormones organize the nervous system and body tissues; for example, during puberty hormones trigger the development of secondary sex characteristics like breasts in females or a deeper voice in males. Hormones activate behaviors; they affect such things as alertness or sleepiness, excitability, sexual behavior, ability to concentrate, aggressiveness, reactions to stress, and even desire for companionship. They can also have a dramatic effect on mood, emotional reactivity, ability to learn, and ability to resist disease. There are various glands located in the body which help secrete hormones into our bodies; pituitary glands are located on the underside of the brain; it produces the largest number of the body’s hormones and has the widest range of effects on the body’s functions. The pineal gland...
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...Checkpoint: Heredity and Hormones Elizabeth L. Saylor BEH 225 November 3, 2011 Axia University of Phoenix Checkpoint: Heredity and Hormones Heredity and hormones can make or break a person. To compare and contrast the influence of heredity and hormones on human behavior we must first understand what each is and what role it plays. Hormones are chemical substance that is released into the bloodstream to guide the processes of sexual development, metabolism, and growth (Morris & Maisto, 2005). Hormones have different effects on the different genders. With women hormones cause mood swings, people always assume that when a female in menstruating she is automatically in a bad mood that is not the case what happens are the women’s hormones are out of balance and this causes the “mood swings”. Thank goodness there are medications both over the counter and Doctor prescribed to help balance out the hormones. Hormones organize the entire nervous system during puberty. Hormones are responsible for behaviors because they affect alertness, excitability, sexual behavior, concentration, aggressiveness, and how one reacts to stress (Morris & Maisto, 2005). The hormones estrogen and androgen cause acne flare-ups when they are out of balance. The endocrine glands are the main glands that regulate our hormones. Endocrine glands are pituitary gland, gonads, thyroid gland, and the pineal gland (Morris & Maisto, 2005). Heredity is when genes and personal traits are passed...
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...Heredity and Hormones Rene Barnhart ADJ 235 LaToshia Stamps July 13, 2011 Heredity and hormones can both influence an individual’s behavior. Heredity is the passing of traits from a parent to their offspring. Determining how much heredity and genetics plays a role in a person’s behavior brings up the controversy of nature versus nurture. Scientists have attempted to identify specific genes that may be responsible for behaviors such as aggression, shyness, depression, anxiety and risk-taking. Studies involving twins have attempted to correlate genetics and behavior, though in those cases, the researchers were not looking for a particular gene, but for similarities within families (Morris and Maisto, 2005). Hormones; chemicals that are released from certain cells within the body and affected other parts of the body as part of the endocrine system, also play a role in a person’s behavior by determining mood. The endocrine system consists of glands such as the pituitary gland, the thyroid gland, the hypothalamus, the penal body, the adrenal glands and the ovaries and testes. The thyroid gland secretes Triodothyronine which is responsible for metabolic rates. If a person has a hyperthyroid condition in which too much of the hormone is secreted, the person can become over excited and agitated, thus, affecting behavior. The testes in males secrete the hormone testosterone...
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...Heredity and hormones can influence peoples behavior. Heredity is when traits are giving to the children from the parents. Scientists have tried to identify the genes that may cause such behaviors like, depression, shyness, anxiety and aggression. They have done studies involving twins to try and correlate genetics with behavior. The researchers in those cases weren’t looking for a particular gene but were looking to see if their were similarities within families. (Morris and Maisto,2005) Hormones are the chemicals that are released within the body and affect other parts such as the endocrine system. The also contribute to a persons behavior by determining their moods. The endocrine system consists of glands like the thyroid gland, the adrenal gland, the pituitary glands as well as the testes and ovaries. The function of the thyroid gland is to take iodine, which is found in many foods and convert it into thyroxine (T4) and Trrodothyronine (T3) which are thyroid hormones. Thyroids are the only cells that the body has that can absorb iodine. These cells combine iodine with and the amino acid tyrosine to make T3 and T4, which are then released into the blood stream and are transported throughout the body. Every cell in the body depends on the hormones produced by the thyroid to control the rate of their metabolism. When too much of these hormones are secreted the person is said to have a hyper-thyroid condition. This condition affects a persons behavior because it...
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...Heredity and Hormones BEH/225 3/7/2013 David Stephensen Axia College of University of Phoenix The behavior of humans change depending on each individual as each person is different. The tendencies of committing a crime, or be more intelligent or very aggressive are signs of human behavior. In biological terms these are the outcome of behavior are as a result of hormones and genes. Heredity is the foundation upon which human behavior is built. Human behavior can be influenced by genes that are already present in the framework of the person. Genes are inherited when they are passed down from parent to child. The environment can cause our genes to change, or mutate. The way that heredity influences behavior over time may change and it may not always have an influence in the future. The endocrine system is a system of glands where each gland has a type of hormone that secretes directly into the bloodstream. Hormones are chemical substances released into the bloodstream through the endocrine glands and serve a similar function or purpose to the neurotransmitters. Hormones direct such processes as metabolism, growth, and sexual development, it also have numerous affects depending on gender. The nervous system and the endocrine system work together in a constant chemical dialog. The endocrine gland consists of Pineal gland, pituitary gland, parathyroid, thyroid gland, pancreas, adrenal glands, and the gonads which consist of female ovaries, and male testes. Since hormones...
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...Heredity and Hormones Page 1 Heredity and Hormones By 09/22/2010 Axia College Heredity and Hormones Page 2 Both heredity and hormones can and do affect human behavior. I personally feel that they each play as large a par as the other. There was a time in which scientists thought that hormones were the sole driving force behind human behavior. For example, people that have higher or lower testosterone levels can at times affect their levels of aggression. As time progressed, we have learned that heredity is indeed a factor to consider. Hormones can influence behavior but there are other forces at work. Heredity is like the beginning. We all start at ground zero with a blank slate. Heredity can nudge us north or east but it is up to us if we head in one direction or the other. Heredity is the potential for action. Hormones influence you further and changes throughout your life; but again, these are forces that are influences – not rules. The endocrine system plays a huge part in hormonal change. Interestingly enough, the endocrine system has not ducts to supply hormones. Because of this, all the hormones supplied by this system are inserted directly into the bloodstream. This system is also key in the fact that it is responsible for supplying thirty hormones to the body. The reason though for me to bring this system up in this setting is to address...
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...Heredity and Hormones Petrina M Murti BEH/225 August 29, 2012 When comparing and contrasting the influence of heredity and hormones on human behavior I found that both play a major role that is perfectly balanced in order for a human to function properly. Heredity is the biological process of inheriting certain traits of physical and mental qualities through generations from each parent at the time of conception. Hormones are the development of a person their growth; the ability to concentrate, aggressiveness, sexual drive, reproduction, metabolism and play a major role on the ability to learn and the type of mood a person is in. The endocrine system plays a key role in helping to “coordinate and integrate complex psychological reactions” (Morris & Maisto, pg. 65, 2010). It consists of the pituitary gland; pineal gland, the thyroid gland, the parathyroid gland, the pancreas, gonads, ovaries, and the adrenal glands. Each one of the glands in the endocrine system secretes a different hormone right into the bloodstream which then is responsible for a different function. For example, the thyroid gland is located “below the larynx” it produces the hormone called thyroxin which “regulates the body’s rate of metabolism and thus how alert and energetic people are and how fat or thin they tend to be” (Morris & Maisto, pg. 66, 2010). An overactive thyroid can produce different systems such as; reduced attention span, insomnia, and over excitability. According...
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...Hormones and Heredity Susan Kennedy BEH/225 August 20, 2012 Rosa Grindel Hormones and Heredity Human behavior varies from individual to individual. The tendencies to commit a crime, to be more aggressive, or to be more intelligent are all indicators of human behavior. Biologically, speaking, these behavioral outcomes are a direct result of hormones and genes. First, hormones are chemical substances released into the bloodstream by way of endocrine glands. Hormones guide such processes as metabolism, growth, and sexual development. Hormones have different affects based on gender. The nervous system and the endocrine system work together in a constant chemical conversation. The endocrine glans consists of Pineal gland, pituitary gland, parathyroid, thyroid gland, pancreas, adrenal glands, ovaries, and testes. While hormones have clearly defined roles throughout one’s lifetime, genes, which affect heredity, are responsive to the environment and their role clearly changes with respect to the environment. It should be noted that heredity is not some sort of master puppet holding the strings and controlling the environment. As a matter of fact, genes change or evolve based on the environment hence explaining the reason why things such as mutations and variations occur. Therefore, the way heredity influences human behavior at one point in time may not necessarily be the same way it does years to come. Conversely, hormones are very specific in nature, their presence or absence...
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...Heredity and Hormones One day I was at the mall in store a lady came up to me (total stranger) and stated “You must be Stephen Craig’s daughter, because you look just like him. Your mother did no work in creating you.” I told the lady yes I was his daughter but what amazes me was this lady I never met knew my father and stated that I look just like him. Resembling a family member physically or mentally is something that has happen in the past and will continue to happen, but it makes you wonder how can we look exactly like a relative we have never seen or just the spitting image of our parents. In my paper, I will compare and contrast the influence of heredity and hormones on human behavior, by discussing our endocrine system, identifying of hormones and the glands responsible for secreting them, and genetics. Heredity and Hormones Heredity is the genetic transmission of characteristics from parent to offspring. Also it is the sum of characteristics and associated potentialities transmitted genetically to individual organism. Hormones are messengers that secreted by cell or gland. Hormones cause our moods to change, controls our reproductive system, cause us to hungry or crave a certain food. Imagine that our body is a house under construction, heredity is the blueprint, and hormones are the construction workers (Lyke, December 2009). The Endocrine System If hormones are the construction workers, then...
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...Heredity and Hormones May 2, 2012 BEH 225 Heredity and Hormones 2 A person’s behavior can come from heredity and hormones. A person’s heredity can be passed down to them from their parents. This causes a conflict or controversy when nature and nurture come in to play with heredity. Scientists have been trying to determine what genes are responsible for our behavior for many years. Many behaviors that are included are risk-takers, being shy, anxiety, depression, and aggression. Studies involving twins have attempted to correlate genetics and behavior, though in those cases, the researchers were not looking for a particular gene, but for similarities within families, Morris, C. and Maisto, A. (2005). A person can quickly pick up the mood of a person simply by their behavior. Glands of the endocrine system are Pituitary gland, Thyroid gland, Adrenal gland’s, Ovaries, Testes, Hypothalamus and the Pineal. T3 which is know as Triiodothyronine is secreted by the Thyroid gland. Triiodothyronine affects almost every physiological process in the body, including growth and development, metabolism, body temperature, and heart rate, New England Journal of Medicine (1999). The Pituitary gland sometimes called the “master gland” is significant in regulating other endocrine glands, Morris, C. and Maisto, A. (2005). Chemical can be released by certain cells that can affect different body parts. Hormones...
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...Heredity and Hormones Elizabeth Priest The way that we as human beings, behave and react to situations is shaped by many factors, heredity and hormones being the most prominent. Heredity is the foundation upon which human behavior is built. Human behavior can be influenced by genes that are already present in the framework of the person. Genes are inherited when they are passed down from parent to child. The environment can cause our genes to change, or mutate. The way that heredity influences behavior over time may change and it may not always have an influence in the future. The endocrine system is a vital part of coordinating and integrating the many complex reactions that make up the human psyche. Hormones are chemicals released by the endocrine glands. After being released from the endocrine glands, hormones then travel to the rest of the body via the blood stream. Hormones carry messages and help regulate bodily activities. Hormones are activators for different behaviors. Hormones can affect mood, emotional reactions, and learning ability. Changes in hormones can contribute to mental disorders like depression. The pituitary gland, often called the master gland, is located on the underside of the brain and is connected to the hypothalamus. The pituitary gland produces the largest number of different hormones and has the widest range of effects on bodily functions. The thyroid gland is an endocrine gland that produces thyroxin and is located just below the larynx...
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...Heredity and Hormones BEH/225 April 12, 2011 Heredity and Hormones Human behavior can be affected by many things. Human behavior though is more influenced by hormones than heredity. Genes do not directly cause behavior. Genes do affect the development and operation of the nervous system and the endocrine system which influence the likelihood of certain behavior (Morris & Maisto, 2002). Nature vs. Nurture means that scientists think that people behave as they do according to genetic predispositions (nature). Other scientists believe that people behave or think a certain way because they were taught to be that way (nurture). Scientists believe that DNA plays a part in human behaviors, and this debate continues (Powell, 2010). The endocrine system is made up of endocrine glands that produce hormones. Hormones are also involved in regulating the emotional life. Hormones organize the nervous system and body tissues plus they have a dramatic effect on mood (Morris & Maisto, 2002). The endocrine glands are located throughout the body. Thyroid gland is located just below the voice box and it produces Thyroxin, which regulates the body’s metabolism rate. Too much or too little can affect how a person feels and behaves. The thyroid contains four tiny organs that control the calcium and phosphate within the body and can influence levels of excitability (Morris & Maisto, 2002). Melatonin is secreted by the pineal gland. Melatonin regulates the sleep-wake...
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...In the past and even today, many people relied on their family name or social status in a community to gain them respect. “According to this system, there is a superior class of people, in which one can locate certain finer qualities” (Owens 1). William Faulkner’s short story “A Rose for Emily” and “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor there are characters to which these attributes apply. In “A Rose for Emily,” Emily is from a proud, aristocratic family only then that had made through the Civil War era; Miss Emily used to live with her father and servants, in “a big squarish frame house, decorated with cupolas” (Faulkner 82). The town’s people conspire unconsciously to protect both Miss Emily Grierson and the community from shame and Emily’s unusual behavior after her father’s death. This was a devastating loss for Miss Emily. The setting in “A Rose for Emily” is post civil war Jefferson, a small town in the south where the Confederacy is a thing of the past. The people within “this class and its attributes cannot be separated from each other by a change in outward appearances” (Owens 1). Miss Emily ‘s behavior influenced by her own expectations of herself and the townspeople’s lack of authority over her years after “Colonel Sartoris invented the tale that Miss Emily’s father had loaned money to the town” and “remitted her taxes” (Faulkner 82). The narrator leads the reader to believe the Griersons had always thought very highly of themselves; after her father’s...
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