General Genetics | Ask the Geneticist (SM)


	Question		Date



	Dear Sir or Madam, It is a great pleasure of mine to write to you asking you your professional opinion on this matter.I have a question for you and I hope it will not be much of trouble to answer. so here is my question If a grand father has Autosomal dominat condition what are the chanses that his grandoughter willinherit this disease? I highly appreciate your time and most importantly this wonderful opportunity to learn this art of medicine from profesionals. View Answer


	In an exhibit on Mendel, the hybrid generation has a 3/4 to 1/4 ratio of traits within each pea pod. Are all peas within a pod derived from the same fertilization, or are they independent? Was this just a convenience for presentation of the ratio, which would apply over all the pods on that plant, or does each pea represent a unique combination? View Answer


	I've been reading articles on the relative absence of women in mathematics departments and claims that men are overrepresented at the high end on mathematical reasoning. If genetic, the Y chromosome must be involved. So, I'm wondering: Have any genetic studies been done on the male and female offspring of super-mathematicians? Is it potentially possible to identify a gene for exceptional mathematical reasoning? View Answer		2009-11-08


	how long dose genetic tharipy take View Answer		2009-11-02


	Ive heard or read somewhere that when your infected with a virus that new genetic information is added or created in your body to fight the infection. Along with this Ive heard or read that taking a vaccine permanently adds extra genetic information to your body. For example....you get an avian flu vaccine and now your body contains avian genes making you more compatible to other avian type flu's. I may have this slightly wrong, can anyone explain this to me? View Answer		2009-10-30


	Is the X chromosome unique? Women have two, one is switched off. Is this the same for all chromosomes? We have two of each...when a deletion occurs in one causing a mutation (ie. Williams Syndrome) why doesn't the other in pair 'protect?' View Answer		2009-10-29


	I am high school Biology teacher and I am trying to find a geneticist to come spend a day with my classes and I to answer questions the students have that are above my level. Can you please direct me to someone in the area that may be able to help me with this? Thank you! View Answer		2009-10-27


	Honey bees produce honey combs with 6 sided cells. Where in the bee is the "6"? Do you think it would be possible to find the genetic code and read the "6"? Would it be possible to change it to a 4 or 8?? My question, I suppose, is: Do you think it is possible to alter an animals instinctive behavior? Do you think it is possible to program new instinctive behavior? And finally: My thought is, if it is possible to do these things, would it be possible to educate people instantly by altering what they know instinctively. eg. to be born knowing how to play baseball including the rules of the game: or law: or physics? View Answer		2009-10-15


	I hope someone may please answer my question. :-) I am a male, so I understand that I am obviously related to my Paternal Grandfather because I received my Y-Chromosome exclusively from him via my Father, and I know that I am related to my Maternal Grandmother because I received my Mitochondrial DNA solely from her through my Mother. The Y-Chromosome I understand comes down directly through the male line Patrilineally, and the Mitochondrial DNA through the female line Matrilineally. But my question is, am I still genetically related to my Paternal Grandmother? And also, where did my Maternal X-Chromosome come from, the female line of my Maternal Grandfather or Maternal Grandmother, or from either or? Which ever one I received it from, am I still biologically related to the Grandparent I didn't receive a sex Chromosome from? Thank you so much!:-) View Answer		2009-10-11


	I am a teacher of Hermeneutics. I am very interested in genetic experiments done in the ancient world. I have specific questions regarding evidence in ancient carvings that indicate genetic engineering involving humans and animals. Can you recommend someone I can contact to conduct an interview. Thanking you in advance. View Answer		2009-09-17


	I know this may seem a little off topic, but can the brain be made to work above and beyond what it is currently capable of? Does the brain posess the ability to do things we have not discovered yet, such as telepathy or telekinesis? View Answer		2009-09-06


	Our whole population has genetic defects. With that taken into account; how many people would I have to send on a space ship to another world to have a viable population? View Answer		2009-09-05


	Is it true that the same two parents can produce over 70 trillion genetically different offspring? View Answer		2009-09-02


	I am trying to find out something for a book that I want to write. How many men and women would it take to start a viable world, without genetic defects? View Answer		2009-08-30


	In the article "It's the Sequence, Stupid!" by Coller and Kruglyak in Science (Vol 322, 17 October 2008) the authors discuss an experiment in which human chromosome 21 was transferred into mice. The questions of interest in this experiment was: Is regulation of the genes on human chromosome 21 in these mice determined by the human sequence or by the mouse cellular environment and transcription machinery? The answer was the former hypothesis but I'm not sure if I understand why. Apparently the "transcription factor proteins in mouse cells carrying a human chromosome bind to the human DNA in a human-specific pattern and to the corresponding mouse DNA in a mouse-specific pattern" but what does this mean? For example, what are transcription factor proteins and what is their "human-specific" binding pattern? I am interested in the results of this study because I thought that species-specific parts do not necessarily preserve their "identity" when implanted into a foreign species due to differences in development, lifespan, size, etc. However, this study seems to provide evidence to the contrary, suggesting that the context is pretty much irrelevant. Is this the general opinion among geneticists? View Answer		2009-08-25


	Hey, I was wondering, how many nucleotide mutations can occur in one generation? I heard that it was three, but my friend says there is no limit. I've also read that 90% of mutations are harmful. Wouldn't that ensure harm to a person with two or more mutations? View Answer		2009-08-15


	Hi I've just got a quick question regarding evolution of the first cell. So, from what i understand in the beggining organic molecules managed to come together due to chemical reactions, first RNA was assembled, which managed to surround itself with a protective layer forming a very primitive cell etc. but when was the moment when RNA (or DNA) started to have influence over its surroundings i.e tell mitochondrium what to do and how or how many cells and of what type should be in which part of body (body in terms of a single cell and whole organism), this transition is not well explained by biological textbooks. How and when translation of RNA and DNA into life started? When simple chemical reaction started to biologiclal (genetcial) process? View Answer		2009-08-13


	Is it true that fraternal twins have a higher incidence of infertility? View Answer		2009-06-18


	Could the following be the recipe for a superhuman: an individual whose various tissues have been increased in density manifold, whose various Type I muscle structures have been converted into Type II muscle structures, whose adrenal glands produce adrenalin continuously, whose myostatin has been knocked out, and follastatin increased, and whose lactic acid production has been reduced? Or would such an individual merely, "fall apart?" View Answer		2009-06-11


	Hello: I need some information about the "SOX21 GENE, if you have some. View Answer		2009-05-27


	My friends are identical twins. One has color blindness the other does not. How is this possible if they originated from the same embryo? View Answer		2009-05-20


	This might seem like a weird or out-of-place question, but I don't know any scientists and you're my last hope on the matter. After reading up a bit on chromosome lengths and Telomerase, I still don't completely understand them, but I've gotten a general idea. I'm currently young, healthy, and a technological optimist with great faith in the future, so the idea of cloning organs or other such advances in medical science in our time seems plausible to me. However, I wouldn't need that sort of medical science for a good long while. When I do, my telomerase will be shorter, and I assume the cloned whatever will prematurely age. Will shorter telomerase effect any cloning attempts or not? If I'm right, is there any way I can store my DNA and genetic material so that I might be able to access it if or when technology reaches the advanced level? I've been searching online, but I can't find any such organization that offers to save DNA and genetic material. Do you know of anything like that? View Answer		2009-05-15


	If there is a 1 in 4 chance of getting a genetic disesase and the 1st child got the disease...what is the probability the second child will get the disease? View Answer		2009-05-12


	Hello, I am a comic book writer researching a new project. Unfortunately it involves at least certain details to be even remotely accurate, which I am obviously not knowledgeable in. If there is someone I can contact whom can help me further, it would be greatly appreciated. The story revolves around a geneticist researching an ultimate cure to all diseases/illnesses, and inadvertently creates "abilities" (i.e. pyrokinesis) within the patients which is activated during a moment of extreme stress to the body, be it mental or physical. I hope someone will be able to help me. Thank you. View Answer		2009-05-05


	I have heard of DNA being referred to as a shoe string. in the sense that it has a little cap on the the end and that every time it is copied it losses a little bit of that little cap. So that... for example, if you where to create a clone of a clone of a clone..... etc that DNA would eventually become old and unable to reproduce itself. if this is the case how is it possible for me to have my mothers mitochondrial DNA if she had her mothers exact mitochondrial DNA and so on and so forth? View Answer		2009-04-24


	I know there are gene mutations in offspring of older parents (old eggs and old sperm), but are there gene mutations in very young (before 25 years old) parents? Also, are there gene mutations of offspring of inter-racial or inter-nationality marriages? View Answer		2009-04-22


	What is a really good (the best?) introductory book on genetics? I am a curious electrical engineer so I am not afraid of a little old textbook if that's the right avenue. Which begs the question, after I have digested the 1st book what is a good follow-on intermediate book? View Answer		2009-04-16


	I have female friend that keeps saying to me that females are genetically better then males in most aspects. Is this true? View Answer		2009-03-27


	Can you help me please with an explanation of how sex linkage occurs considering females have only one active X chromosome; or, what it means specifically for X chromosomes to be inactivated. If one of the X chromosomes is inactive how can females be carriers of a disorder. I hope its the inactivity of the X chromosome I don't understand rather than the inheritance of sex-linked disorders. Thank you View Answer		2009-03-24


	Hi! I have a chromosome project due on March 27th. Each student was givin a different chromosome. I have the chromosome 3. I was wondering if you could help me. I have been trying to find diseases caused by mutations of my chromosome but i am having difficulty finding some. Maybe you can give me some ideas where i can find some information. Could you please help me? Thank you, View Answer		2009-03-18


	How do we know that siblings share 50% of their genes? I understand that we get 50% of each of our parents genes. But couldn't one sibling get a largely different random combination of genes from their parents compared to another sibling? Therefore, in the case of a 3-chilld family, couldn't 2 of those siblings share 46% of their genes and one of those siblings share 55% with another sibling, due to random combination? I understand that I am likely to be wrong with this theory, as I cannot find any information on it, but I cannot understand why I am wrong. Help? View Answer		2009-03-15


	OK, we humans like to think of ourselves as the most advanced species, mostly I suppose because it is us and we've seemingly managed to manipulate the landscape more than other species. BUT...it seems to me a better marker would be how long the dna code is. So...are there any animals that have longer dna codes than humans? Maybe they are better adapted for the long haul... View Answer		2009-03-11


	Hi. I'm working on writing an article. If, say, Joe had a slightly different genetic make-up, would he be a different person? I.e. say Joe wasn't happly about his genetically determined traits, and wishes that, during his conception, there would have been a slightly different mix of genes. Would that have necessitated the joining of different sex cells -- a different sperm or a different egg? Or, let's say the same two sex cells joined. Would the genetic make-up have been fixed, or could other factors have resulted in a different genetic make-up? E.g., if those two sex cells had joined at a slightly different time (e.g. one second later) or if the sperm would have penetrated the egg at a different position. In sum, say Joe wishes his genetic make-up were different. I could counter, "Well then you wouldn't have existed. Someone else would have been born in your place. (If two other sex cells had joined.) So be happy with the life you have." Would I be right? View Answer		2009-03-03


	How long do you think it will take for genetic alteration of human beings to become possible and easy to execute without risk of mutation? A.K.A Super humans? View Answer		2009-02-10


	Is Human Genetic Engineering Possible? View Answer		2009-02-10


	Hello, I have looked every where online and was unable to find a answer to the following questions, it will be greatly appreciated if someone can help with these.. Thanks. what is the difference between Genetic Marker and Genetic mapping? and how can one find a genetic marker for a autosomal recessive disease in a family? View Answer		2009-01-24


	Sorry my question was vague. How about, "Why is a gene autosomal dominant?" What causes it to "overpower" or be expressed more strongly than a recessive gene? (other than it's notation of a being a "dominant" gene?) View Answer		2008-12-17


	I was referred to you by another website. I have a question regarding DNA. Recently I was involved in a discussion relating to genetics. One person said siblings from the same parents have identical DNA, the other side says no, they can't. Who is right? It confused me, because if siblings have the same DNA, why do researchers look at DNA to solve murder cases and things like that? It seems to me it wouldn't make sense to do that if one has the same DNA as someone else. View Answer		2008-12-15


	What allows genes to stay together? Any theories as to why a gene has variable penetrance vs Autosomal dominant? Are there any laboratories testing for Brooke-Spiegler or Familial Multiple Trichoepitheliomas that you know of? View Answer		2008-12-14


	I am currently doing a report on the future of eugenics in the United States. I am wondering what are some of the projects that are currently being worked on that may one day cure genetically based diseases as well as some of the prospects that can be expected in the future. In your opinion, what are some of the limitations of genetic engineering as well as its possibilities. Thank you View Answer		2008-12-10


	I am unsure of my grasp of genetic replication in regards to epigenetic imprinting. I assume gene imprinting does not determine sex, but the other way around. Genetically speaking: A Mother inherits a non-imprinted gene, a working gene, on a chromosome from her father. She inherited from her mother a chromosome with an imprinted non working gene. So how does the mother ensure her daughter gets the maternal haploid ovum and not the paternal haploid ovum? Does the mother mark her functioning male inherited chromosome as female and let the zygote finish imprinting it, if it happens to be female? Happy Holidays, View Answer		2008-12-05


	I was just wondering, and I suspect that this isn't the right place to ask, if it isn't I would very much appreciate to be directed to someone who could give me an answere. The question is this. What is the smallest(number of proteins) known molecule that is able to perform ligation? I guess it would be some type of RNA, but specifically I want to know how many proteins that makes ligation possible. Thanks in advance. View Answer		2008-11-24


	Why cant creutzfeldt-Jakob disease not be eliminated by natural selection? View Answer		2008-11-17


	Hello, I'm attending Molecular Genetics classes (undergraduate), and I have some questions: 1) What's the difference between single-copy probes and complex probes? 2) Does it probes competition occurs when we use any type of probes (single-copy/complex)? Hoping for an answer? View Answer		2008-10-14


	I am a 7th grade student at American Academy Charter School. I am doing a science fair project on the dominate genetic color traits of the common Mystery Snail. I would love to put you as a reference. I am cross-breeding blue, gold, black, and white shell colored snails. Through my research, it appears the gold variation is the most common. Not much professional research has been done though on this invertebrate. I was wondering 1. How many generations can normally carry the same recessive trait? 2. How do the chromosomes copy themselves in meiosis? 3. Do all organism cells have the same steps of meiosis? 4. Do genes affect gender? If you could answer all or any of these questions I would be very grateful. I am able to use human information in my report as well. Thank you for your speedy response. View Answer		2008-10-05


	I am an Author, and I have a question for my book. If a man is the father of two sons with different mothers, but both women are their identical twin, and both have a son, can both of these sons look almost like twins with minute variations. View Answer		2008-07-28


	Can you tell me about polar twins? I know that there is sometimes a genetic predisposition to hyper ovulation which is what causes fraternal twins and I know that so far they have not been able to find any genetic link to identical twins since the spilt occurs after fertilization and therefore involves both the genes of the sperm and the egg. But I am wondering since Polar twins occur before fertilization and therefore only involve the egg could there be a genetic reason that the egg of that woman spilt when most eggs do not? And my second question is do you think it's possible that there have been more cases of polar twins than thought because many of them were assumed to be fraternal twins? And one last question, why don't identical twins have the same fingerprints? Do they when they are born? Thanks, I know this is mostly conjecture but I can't help but be curious about something so interesting. View Answer		2008-06-14


	Hello, I have a more general question about genetics and natural selection. How long does it take (how many generations), for a trait to dissapear from a population, once the trait is no longer being enforced by natural selection? View Answer		2008-04-29


	My Godson is an identical twin. I always thought that identical twins were always the same sex, due to one egg and one sperm fertilizing and splitting at an early stage. However recently it has come to my attention (& the twins mother) that this is not the case. Info such as "in extremely rare cases, monozygotic twins have been born with opposite sexes. When monozygotic twins are born with different sexes it is because of chromosomal birth defects. In this case, although the twins did come from the same egg, it is incorrect to refer to them as genetically identical, since they have different karyotypes." Is this true? And if so would the twin with this chromosomal defect survive? And what kind of defects are they referring to? I would appreciate any information you can provide. I look forward to your response. Thanks. View Answer		2008-04-15


	what are genetic markers?actually i have read about them but dont get it.they are of known sequence,but how do v know that,i mean that if v use markers why not simply use the gene seq.why are markers called markers?why are there types of markers like RFLP,SNP,microsatalites etc? what purpose do they surve,under what conditions do they surve?i found all of them the same. View Answer		2008-03-26


	i am the father of a set of twins whom i suspect are fraternal, but am not positive of such. the twins are boy/girl. their mother and i had a very unstable marriage and i suspect her of infidelity at or around the time the children were concieved. my son looks very much like me but the girl does not. is it possible, and if so how likely is there a chance i fathered just one of them? could you provide me with statistical probabilities of such a thing occuring? View Answer		2008-02-18


	To whom it may concern: I'm a junior high school biology teacher and have decided to teach my students a little bit about genetics. I found this question in a college genetics textbook without an answer and with my relatively basic knowlegde of genetics can't seem to figure it out. I understand meiosis and mendelian theory but I'm stuck on how to even begin answering the question.You have two pure breeding strains of gold fish. Strain 1 has but one large dorsal fin, while Strain 2 has two such fins. You cross them together and all of the progeny have a single dorsal fin. You then mate brothers and sisters together and to your utter amazement only 1 in 16 progeny has two dorsal fins. How do you explain this result? You did the cross described above in a fish bowl at room temperature. But, if you do the cross in an aquarium with a heater you discover that 7/16 fish have two fins. How do you explain this result? thank you for helping me help some very smart kids View Answer		2008-02-13


	Is it possible that natural selection could lower human intelligence because the more intelligent often choose to have fewer children? View Answer		2008-02-06


	I'm confused about what it really means to say that "we have found the gene for" some trait. If I understand correctly, a gene is the instruction to make a protein. But if gene regulation controls when and in which cells that protein might be made, and the same protein might be involved in lots of different traits through expression in different cell types at different stages of development, how can we know whether a gene isn't responsible for many different traits, or that several genes work in concert to produce that trait? Also, we hear frequently about how much genetic material we share with other animals. Could the same gene have substantially different roles in different species? View Answer		2008-01-26


	I have 2 questions. 1st Origin of Recessive Traits. I understand that all recessive traits began as a mutation that was inheritable. Via natural selection, this mutation became a more common trait thru the population. Is this correct? 2nd Antibiotic Resistance. Heres how I think this worked. Before there was antibiotics, some organisms had genes that coded for something altogether different which, coincidentally also provided some protection against antibiotics. Thus, they did not all die off when first introduced to a naturally occurring antibiotic. It wasnt until they were exposed to an antibiotic that genes specific to resisting antibiotics developed. Am I close? View Answer		2007-11-14


	Is it possible for the males of the human race to vanish, because of a shrinking Y chromosome? If so how long would it take? View Answer		2007-11-08


	Hi, I am taking a grad. level genetics and I am writting a paper on sickle cell anemia and how it was originally brought about in order to save lives by preventing people from getting malaria. I was wondering if there were any other examples of genetic disorders that prevent a carrier from getting other diseases. View Answer		2007-11-07


	I am doing A2 - Level Biology at the moment. In the genetics chapter, in meiosis, only two gametes are shown to come from each parent, but aren't four produced from each parent? View Answer		2007-10-28


	I have done some research on the LMNA gene but all the sources only show it to be on chromosome 1 but no mention if it is part of a gene family. is the LMNA gene belong to gene family? and if so is it interspersed or clustered? View Answer		2007-10-26


	I was wondering about the new findings that so called 'junk DNA' has a purpose:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6749213.stm. I've always considered pseudogenes as excellent evidence for evolution, and I want to know if the media has blown this out of proportion: Is it true that most of these pseudogenes have a function? View Answer		2007-09-02


	Do you know of any clinical diagnostics application(s) of genomics?If so, does this(these) have any possible usage(s) in advancing novel gene therapy View Answer		2007-08-21


	I recently learned in my college biology class that all female organisms (XX) are "Mosaic" organisms (due to X-inactivaction in early development). My professor informed me of a few mosaic characteristics in females, such as sweat glands in humans and fur color in calico cats, but I've been unable to find any other characteristics that aren't associated with a genetic disease/disorder. This topic is very interesting to me and I was curious of what other mosaic traits a female organism (human or other) would possess that aren't associated with a genetic disease. Any help would be greatly appreciated. View Answer		2007-08-16


	Is there an article or an easy way to explain to students why a plant cell and an animal cell could not be genetically spliced together to make a new type of cell? View Answer		2007-07-29


	I am wondering if there is a chromosome that is inactive- or unknown as to what it does? Do we know now what each chromosome is responsible for, and what it can cause genetically? View Answer		2007-07-26


	"Oetzi," the man found frozen in the Tyrolian Alps for 5300 years, has had his mtDNA haplogroup successfully identified. Since there has been no announcement of which I aware that his Y-DNA haplogroup has also been identified, should we assume that the y-chromosome would just be too degraded for successful SNP testing? View Answer		2007-06-26


	I'm very interested in the curing of Genetic Disorders. What work has already been done in this area? What Genetic Disorders do we know of that we can either prevent or cure? View Answer		2007-06-07


	I was wanting to know what chromosome osteogenesis imperfecta was located on. Like how diabetes is located on chromosome 14? what chromosome is OI located on? View Answer		2007-05-18


	Can a person not show any signs of the disease at birth and get it later in life when they're older, or do you have to be born with it? View Answer		2007-02-20


	I am a middle school life science teacher with a student who wants very much to understand how traits "skip a generation". We are midway through the chapter on genetics: Mendel's work, incomplete dominance, multiple alleles, and polygenic inheritance, and sex-linked disorders. The only answer I was able to give him was if a recessive purebred parent has a hybrid offspring (who shows the dominant trait from the other parent) and this offspring then marries a recessessive carrier, a recessive purebred offspring can again occur. I am sure this is not the answer, but what is? How to "throwbacks" occur? Can you explain this on the 7th grade level? View Answer		2007-01-19


	i was wondering if for example if you inject spider DNA into a different species of spider will it mutate deform or will it just die off what would happen if you put like human DNA into to like a spider once again will it change its genetic code its shape or DNA or anything just will it alternat it in anyway??? View Answer		2006-12-13


	Hello, I would like to know (in general terms) how a genome-wide linkage search is performed and how loci susceptibility for diseases (e.g. breast cancer, psoriasis etc) are determined. Thanks very much for you help. View Answer		2006-09-02


	My question is, "Are genes the basic unit of heredity?". My grade 11 biology teacher says that DNA is the basic unit of heredity. I disagree and think that genes are the basic unit of heredity. I lost a mark on my genetics unit test because I thought so. I would greatly appreciate it if I could get a correct answer to my question with an explanation to why it is so. View Answer		2006-08-24


	What are the future uses of today's genetic research findings View Answer		2006-05-11


	How can a geneticist trace back the point at which two species (eg. human and chimpanzee) divereged by simply comparing their genome? View Answer		2006-04-08


	Im just incredible interested in the medical field. I have been doing research on genetic disorders. While looking through all i seem to be able to find are diseases, negative syndromes, and defects. Is there a specific syndrome (or more than one) that seem to have positive effects. If so what are they and where can i find information on them. View Answer		2006-03-05


	What is the fate of homozygous dominant for the disease? Do these fertilizations survive? View Answer		2006-01-24


	I need to know a bit more of genetic (natural) quimerism and if it is possible i need some graphic explanation of the condition. Im doin a college presentation and it is very importatnt. I have not been able to find good resources for this. thankyou. View Answer		2005-11-12


	Genes are mutable, but are they mutable after birth? i.e. persons exhibiting fragile X syndrome mutable to more stable configurations. What factors have been attributed to mutation? View Answer		2005-11-06


	Do human clones exist? View Answer		2005-09-14


	How many chromosomes are there in a human sperm? View Answer		2005-09-14


	How many genes do humans have? View Answer		2005-09-14


	How much genetic material do you inherit from each parent? View Answer		2005-09-14


	I am doing a project for school, and would like to know what mutation can help the human body? View Answer		2005-09-14


	If you stretched out the DNA from one cell of your body, how long would it be? View Answer		2005-09-14


	What is an allele? View Answer		2005-09-14


	What is meant by the term "gene locus"? View Answer		2005-09-14


	What is the role of gold and its properties in RNA or DNA analysis and identification? View Answer		2005-09-14


	What is uniparental disomy? View Answer		2005-09-14


	Who determines the gender of a child, the biological mother or the biological father? View Answer		2005-09-14

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