...DNA DNA or Deoxyribonucleic acid is the very building block needed in the creation of life. It is composed of genetic instruction to map out the creation of an entire organism. DNA is well suited in the storage of biological information. Yet with all of this complex information there are certain chemicals or forms of energy that can damage or alter this special coding. In process of damaging or altering the coding of DNA the most dreaded situation of a cancerous cell can be formed. To start let’s look at the different kinds of radiation that may or may not effect DNA. Alpha, Beta, and Gamma Radiation Ionizing Radiation can change the way our body’s work and develop. Direct includes covalent linkage between nitrogenous bases, and creating structure like thymine dimmers. Indirect is when it interacts with water to create free radicals which can interact with a person’s DNA. It can cause single or double stranded breaks in the sugar- phosphate backbone. (Buttons, n.d.) Alpha Radiation is a process that needs to be swallowed, inhaled, and or absorbed into the blood stream. This can increase the risk of cancer also known as lung cancer. Radon is a silent but deadly killer. To determine if one has been affected by alpha particles testing would be completed with special equipment and gear to prevent those from any exposure. Beta Particles can be a helpful process of treatment to many, such as treating thyroid disorders, cancer, and Graves’ disease (hyperthyroidism). It also...
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...A mutation is a change in DNA, which is the instructions for how to create the organism, and the mutation is when the DNA differs from what it was supposed to be when it replicated itself. The letters A, T, G, and C represent the bases adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine; in addition, the order the bases are in make up the instructions of the genetic code. The instructions of DNA are matched with amino acids the cells use to create proteins. The molecular basis of DNA mutations is a change in the DNA’s bases, happening either spontaneously or being caused by mutagens, which can lead to effects that help, harm, or have no effect the organism. DNA mutations happen either naturally or are caused by mutagens, which are something in the environment...
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...Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) evidence proves as one of the most effective tools available in modern law enforcement. For all types of crimes, DNA technology remains a critical factor in prosecuting the guilty and freeing the innocent. When a law gets broken, a crime becomes committed that can get solved with the use of DNA technology because it ensures accuracy and fairness, it improves our justice system, and it simplifies criminal processes. To start, according to the article “Using DNA to Solve Crimes” on the website justice.gov, “In all, DNA technology is increasingly vital to ensuring accuracy and fairness in the criminal justice system.” In cases where a suspect gets identified, a sample of that person’s DNA can get compared to evidence from the crime scene. The results of this comparison may help establish whether the suspect committed the crime or not. According to the article “DNA Evidence in Criminal Cases” on the website nolo, “DNA evidence has thus far resulted in the release of about 250 wrongly-convicted prisoners (many of whom had served many years in prison or even faced the death penalty).” In cases where a suspect remains unidentified, biological...
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...does respect for freedom, personal autonomy, or consent apply? DNA is very personal, and we can’t be sure this information will always be used in an ethical way. While most will agree that criminals have a limit to their rights, what about the innocent people whose DNA is kept after they are proven to have no connection to a crime? Given the personal nature of DNA, I feel this is a violation of our freedom and our right to privacy. What rights if any apply? While DNA dragnets are said to be a “voluntary” process people often feel as if they are not really being asked but rather ordered to submit their DNA to prove their innocence. If they don’t they are deemed suspicious, as if they have something to hide. If the police don’t have reasonable...
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... 12/14/15 Using DNA to Prove the Innocence of Death Row Inmates How has DNA evidence helped to identify innocent people on death row? DNA is a key factor in validating or invalidating the prosecutor or defendants case against the accused. This topic raises the question of how many people on death row are really meant to be there and how many are actually innocent. Before DNA evidence became more advanced most people were identified by eye witness accounts. With out further looking into cases of people on death row who had been accused during this less advanced stage in forensics some of them may be innocent people being put to death for a crime they did not commit. According to C. Ronald...
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...the Reading Unit Research essay confirmed that I have failed to address that my skills are limited in writing a research paper. Over the course of this assignment I accumulated a respectable amount of data and learned more strategies than I illustrated. I failed to apply concepts from Dr. Case English 3640, Writing in a Second language, class that I had learned. I printed out and read half a dozen articles conducive to the topic of teaching reading. I annotated, highlighted, brainstorming the main ideas, while considering the supporting ideas that can work in my paper. I drew mind maps, four of them to be exact, as the drafting progress and found myself trying to explain Chomsky and Krashen theories after I had sold my soul to Miller....
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...10 and juvenile polyposis.11-13 Because the genes that are mutated in familial colorectal cancer syndromes can be mutated at a variety of different locations, assays for mutation detection are not simple. Many different approaches to mutation detection have been described in the literature, some of which are also described here. Specific strategies for testing are also discussed. THE BASICS Isolation of DNA and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) DNA or RNA for genetic testing is almost always isolated from peripheral-blood leukocytes. This requires that the blood be drawn in tubes containing some sort of anticoagulant. The preferred anticoagulants are either citrate or EDTA. The cells are lysed followed by removal of the other cellular components and precipitation of the DNA or RNA in ethanol. One of the drawbacks of this approach is that the blood must be rapidly transported to the laboratory where the testing will be performed before the nucleic acids begin to degrade. Recent developments in filter paper technology show promise in obviating this problem. Special filter papers...
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...The discovery of the structure of DNA James Watson, Francis Crick, Maurice Wilkins, Rosalind Franklin What did they discover about DNA? James Watson, along with Francis Crick, studied the molecular structure of DNA that had been extracted from cells and showed how it could serve as the chemical basis of inheritance. Although it is commonly known that everything they "discovered" they stole from Rosalind Franklin, who proceeded to obligingly die. That said they're incorrectly famous for discovering that DNA is composed of sequences of purines and pyramidines hydrogen-bonded together and held in place by two sugar-phosphate strands that form a double helix due to more hydrogen bonding. Maurice Wilkins is not credited for the actual discovery of the structure of DNA rather that distinction goes to James Watson and Francis Crick and is known as the Watson-Crick model. Wilkins did share in the Nobel prize because his work in spectroscopic studies on nucleic acids led to the use of X-ray crystallography to define the Watson-Crick model of DNA. Rosalind Franklin discovered the molecular structures of DNA, RNA, viruses, coal and graphite. She was a British biophysicist and X-ray crystallographer who was best known for her work on the X-ray diffraction images of DNA which led to discovery of DNA double helix. Rosalind Franklin's critical contributions to the Crick and Watson model include an X-ray photograph of B-DNA (called photograph 51), that was briefly shown to James Watson...
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...Extraction of DNA from an Onion Molecular biologists and biochemists are involved with research in finding out as much as possible about the DNA in plants and animals. Although DNA was discovered in the 1950’s, there still remains a lot to be known about it, especially how it is used to determine the physical traits that we all have, and how it regulates the workings of the body. We should always remember that DNA is just a chemical named deoxyribonucleic acid. Because it is a chemical, we can do reactions with it just like we can work with any other chemical. In this lab, we will use the chemical properties of DNA to extract it from the cells of onions. Experiment: Note: You should write all observations from this lab in the observation section on the third page of this lab. These observations will account for a large part of your grade, so be neat and complete! 1) Prepare a buffer solution by pouring the following into a clean 250 mL Erlenmeyer flask: - 120 mL of water (distilled water, if available) - 1.5 grams of sodium chloride (table salt) - 5.0 grams of baking soda (sodium hydrogen carbonate) - 5.0 mL of shampoo or liquid laundry detergent What buffer solutions are used for: This buffer solution is used in this lab for several reasons. First of all, the saltiness and acidity (pH) of the solution is very close to that in living things; as a result, the DNA will like to dissolve into this solution. Secondly...
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...genetic research. The problem was, Watson had almost no experience whatsoever in chemistry. In 1950, Watson began his studies with a microbiologist, where he was assigned to write a thesis paper on phages, a simple type of virus. These studies proved difficult due to Watson’s lack of chemical knowledge, and his supervisor realized that more information about phages, proteins, and genes would become apparent if they understood the structure. In attempt to acquire some basic chemical experience, Watson began a short internship at a lab where he nearly caused a catastrophic explosion. Following this unfortunate incident, Watson’s knowledge of chemistry remained unimpressive, as shortly thereafter, the...
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...Genetic disorders are inherited from an individual’s parents through the gamete cells that ultimately develop into the offspring. There are three major inheritance patterns that were highlighted: single gene, chromosomal, and multifactorial disorders. It is important for pediatricians to understand both the disorders and the diagnostic tools used due to disorders beginning at conception. Due to the multitude of ways that genetic disorder can arise, there are different diagnostic tools that can be used to determine a disorder. This review article used an exploratory study that used previous papers to highlight, identify, and merge diagnostic techniques into a single paper. The major data and results from this paper focused on what the diagnostic...
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...Principles of Biology Worksheet 7, Week 7 Answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper and submit it to Dropbox 1 by midnight Central Time on Sunday. 1. What is the genetic material of organisms? 2. What are the requirements for DNA to be the genetic material? 3. Who can be credited with determining that DNA is the genetic material of living things? 4. What nucleotides are contained in DNA? 5. What is the difference between pyrimidine and purine bases? 6. State Chargaff’s rules. 7. What is the estimate of the number of base pairs on each human chromosome? 8. Describe the Watson-Crick model for DNA. 9. Explain the meaning of complementary base pairings. 10. What enzyme is required for DNA replication? 11. What molecules form the backbone of a DNA molecule? 12. What type of molecules does the genetic code in DNA produce? 13. Identify three differences between DNA and RNA. 14. What is the role of mRNA? 15. What is transcription? 16. What is translation? 17. What does it mean to say the genetic code is unambiguous? 18. What role is performed by transfer RNA? 19. If a DNA strand is represented by the bases: A-C-T-G-G-C what are the bases that will be included in the replicated strand? 20. If a DNA strand is A-C-T-G-G-C, what is the base representation that will be produced by transcription...
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...In 1962 James Watson along with Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins were awarded a Noble Prize for the paper that they published about the discovery of the double-helix model of deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA. The discovery of the helical structure of DNA is considered as one of the most important achievements in the field of the science history. However, James Watson does not deserve the recognition of discovering the helical model of DNA. Watson should lose his nobel prize, not only did he not give any credit to the person who was really the one responsible in discovering the helical shape of DNA he is also making rude and prejudiced opinions. Few people know Rosalind Franklin, a scientist who devoted herself in the scientific study of the structure...
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...Running Head: PERSONALIZED MEDICINE PERSONALIZED MEDICINE Margaret Barnes SCl115-Introduction to Biology November 07, 2012 PERSONALIZED MEDICINE Personalized Medicine and Modern Genetics Technology: “Introduction” In today’s world DNA sequences are frequently and constantly improving, modern instruments can analyze DNA by the millions within a twenty-four hour period (Mader, 2010, P.178). Because of technology, these instruments have been made available now and in the future for the use of personalized medicinal products. This paper provides an overview of how modern genetic technology may lead to personalized medicine, and to give examples two or more specific benefits of personalized medicine: a discussion of its drawbacks and limitations of the approach to human medicine. “Modern Genetic Technology and Personalized Medicine” Modern technology is constantly growing in our world, for us to understand how modern genetic technology may lead to personalized medicine and the importance personalized medicine. Personalized medicine is the tailoring of medical treatment for an individual with the unique characteristics for each patient. This approach is a scientific...
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...579 Atomic force microscopy and other scanning probe microscopies Helen G Hansma and Lía Pietrasanta The highlight of the past year is the unfolding and refolding of the muscle protein titin in the atomic force microscope. A related highlight in the intersection between experiment and theory is a recent review of the effects of molecular forces on biochemical kinetics. Other advances in scanning probe microscopy include entropic brushes, molecular sandwiches and applications of atomic force microscopy to gene therapy. Address Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA Current Opinion in Chemical Biology 1998, 2:579–584 http://biomednet.com/elecref/1367593100200579 © Current Biology Ltd ISSN 1367-5931 Abbreviations AFM atomic force microscopy/microscope SFM scanning force microscopy/microscope SICM scanning ion conductance microscopy/microscope SPM scanning probe microscopy/microscope STM scanning tunneling microscopy/microscope A new journal, Probe Microscopy, was launched in 1997 as a forum specifically devoted to the science and technology of SPM. AFM and SFM have been also newsworthy items in Science and Nature in the past year [14••,15•–17•,18••,19]. An introduction to AFM is covered well in a recent issue of Current Opinion in Chemical Biology, which describes and illustrates the design and mode of operation of AFM [4••]. The AFM images sample surfaces by raster-scanning a sharp tip back and forth over the surface. The tip is on...
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