Unit 4 Reflection

    In the coin sex lab, I drew out Punnet squares to calculate probabilities of offspring having some trait, and then I flipped coins to randomly generate outcomes. The coins served as a model for the Law of Segregation. My results for the dihybrid cross were exactly the same as the predicted results in terms of phenotype, but not genotype. The probabilities for the different phenotypes are accurate, since my results were very similar to the predicted results. Probability may fail when you test gene-linked chromosomes, since they have a larger possibility of being inherited together. My understanding in life of this is that there are people with one set of traits and people with another set of traits, but not much mix between those two sets of traits. Other sets of traits, however, are completely randomly distributed among people.
    This unit was about the different parts of genetics. There was a chapter on the "Introduction to Genetics", which talked about Gregor Mendel and his laws, genes and dominance, Punnet squares, and meiosis. There was also a chapter on "The Human Genome", which talked about human genes, chromosomes, x-linked traits, and other similar concepts. The big ideas to focus on were information and heredity, and science, technology, and society. One of my strengths in this chapter was working out the Punnet squares. A weakness was understanding the many different types of inheritances, dominances, and other similar things. One new thing in this unit was that I was put into a group with three people, so I had to partner with people in other groups many times.
    From these experiences, I learned that genes and chromosomes are very complex, and that the inheritance of traits was determined through many different rules. From the infographic, I learned how infographics look like, and how to format one. I also learned how to effectively organize what I learned in the unit. Working with many different people helped me organize myself better, since I needed to switch back and forth.
    I would like to learn about the other concepts in the unit in the textbook which were not covered in the vodcasts. I am not so sure about how to read a pedigree and how it works. I wonder about how people survive with disorders on the dominant alleles.