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3 3 What Are Genes And Chromosomes Open Oregon Educational Resources

Leo Migdal
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3 3 what are genes and chromosomes open oregon educational resources

Every single cell in our bodies, except for red blood cells (because they do not have a nucleus) contains deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, the unique material that serves as the building blocks for our... Genes are a segment of DNA. Imagine our DNA, genes and chromosomes as a lego set. The DNA are the individual pieces. As with lego pieces, each piece of DNA serves a specific function in the design of the gene. The genes are like the blueprints for the buildings.

In our bodies, genes contain the information to determine features like our hair color, or whether our cheekbones resemble our mom or dad. Like the instructions for the lego set, the genes are how we get our unique look. Each completed minifigure or vehicle in the lego set is like a chromosome. When all 46 chromosomes come together, they represent a fully completed lego set, all of the people, buildings, and accessories in place. All of the pieces have fit together to complete the puzzle. In the United States, there are approximately three million babies born each year (Martin et al, 2021).

The majority of these babies are born with the typical 46 chromosomes. Roughly 33 in every 1000 babies, or about 3% are born with a chromosomal abnormality. Chromosomal abnormalities are either structural or numerical. With a structural abnormality, a part of the chromosome does not duplicate correctly, resulting in missing information and an incomplete chromosome. Numerical abnormalities result when there are too many or too few chromosomes. Abnormalities may occur as early as conception.

In many cases, a chromosomal abnormality will make it impossible for the fetus to survive, resulting in a spontaneous termination, more commonly called a miscarriage. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 10 out of 100 known pregnancies end in miscarriage. One risk factor that increases the risk of a chromosomal abnormality is the exposure to external factors that compromise fetal health, also known as teratogens. Some examples of teratogens are alcohol, smoking, exposure to pesticides and other chemicals, and use of pharmaceuticals, both prescription and illicit substances. Later in the chapter we will look more closely at how teratogens impact maternal and fetal health. Do you like cilantro?

You may love it and add it to all of your favorite dishes. You may hate it and think it tastes like soap. What you may not know is that the taste of cilantro is an inherited trait, determined by your genes. In fact, genes influence a lot of who we are, from what we look like to whether we are right or left handed. Even some of our preferences (such as whether you like cilantro) are impacted by our genetic makeup. The genes we inherit from our parents make up our genotype.

Because we get genetic material from both parents, it is possible to receive the same version of a gene from each. We call this a homozygous genotype. In this instance, we will display the characteristic because it is the only genetic option available. But it is also possible to get different versions of the same gene, such as the gene for eye color, which is called heterozygous. Eye color is an example of a trait that can be either homozygous or heterozygous. Blue eyes only occur if a person gets the same recessive gene from both parents.

Brown eyes could result from either homozygous or heterozygous genes. If a person got a recessive blue eye gene from one parent, but the dominant brown eye gene from the other, they would have brown eyes, but a heterozygous genetic trait. If a person received a dominant brown eye gene from both parents, they would have brown eyes, and a homozygous genetic trait. In this instance, we cannot display both genes, so one gene will be visible or active, while the other will not. Dominant and recessive genes influence which genes are expressed, called the phenotype. Dominant genes express themselves in the phenotype even when paired with a different version of the gene, while their silent partner is called recessive.

Recessive genes express themselves only when paired with a similar version gene. If you sneeze when you are exposed to the sun, you can thank your parents- both of them, because the gene that causes photic sneezing is caused by a recessive gene! Freckles and red hair are also recessive, which means that in order for you to have them, you must receive the gene from both parents. Amanda Simons, Framingham State University Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike CC BY-NC-SA Reviewed by Jessica Baggerman, Associate Professor, Huntington University on 8/6/25

Provides a very comprehensive overview of genetics topics. read more Reviewed by Jessica Baggerman, Associate Professor, Huntington University on 8/6/25 Oregon college and university representatives attended and presented at the 2025 Open Education Conference. Read more… Our key finding regarding student outcomes is that students benefit from affordable, high-quality course materials implemented with the support of an instructional designer.

Read more… Our key finding regarding student savings is that we almost doubled our projected student savings estimate! Read more… The 2025-27 Open Oregon Educational Resources grants have been awarded. Congratulations to our new cohort of grantees! Read more…

This presentation explores two high school teachers’ experiences with creating and sharing OER, the challenges they’ve faced, and what they wished they learned as pre-service teachers. Read more… An official website of the United States government The .gov means it's official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely. NCBI Bookshelf. A service of the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health. Genetic Alliance; The New York-Mid-Atlantic Consortium for Genetic and Newborn Screening Services. Understanding Genetics: A New York, Mid-Atlantic Guide for Patients and Health Professionals.

Washington (DC): Genetic Alliance; 2009 Jul 8. \( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \) \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \) \( \newcommand{\dsum}{\displaystyle\sum\limits} \) \( \newcommand{\dint}{\displaystyle\int\limits} \) \( \newcommand{\dlim}{\displaystyle\lim\limits} \)

I can explain the difference between DNA, chromosomes, genes and the genome. I can explain the difference between DNA, chromosomes, genes and the genome. Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms. These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching. Genome - The genome is all of the genetic material of a cell; it stores the code for all the features and processes of a living organism.

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