In Unit 4, we did an experiment called the coin sex lab. In this lab we tried to answer the question, can probability be used to predict what our offspring will be? We used coins to simulate the different genotypes of both the parents, and flipped the coins to determine the genotype of their offspring. We used the coins to display many different genotypes such as whether the offspring would be a girl or boy, have bipolar disorder, and what color hair and eye they would have. The experiment that tested what hair and eye color the offspring will have is called a dihybrid cross. In this cross, instead of using 2 coins (one for each parent) we used 4. This simulated the two different genes (hair and eye color) for each parent. Our results from this cross was that 14 out of 16 had brown hair and brown eyes and 2 had blonde hair and brown eyes. This result was far from what we had expected ; we had expected a ratio of 9:3:3:1 which means that in our results we were missing 2 phenotypes! This definitely shows that there is a limit to predicting our offspring's traits. We can always guess the probability of how likely a trait will occur but we can not predict if that trait will actually happen. This experiment relates to my life because this helps me understand why I have traits that the rest of my family does not.
The coin sex lab was part of the Unit, Why is Sex so Great? In this unit we learned about the basics genetics and about reproduction. We learned about the very basics, meiosis and mitosis, asexual and sexual reproduction, Mendel's Laws, dominance, and different patterns of inheritance. One of the most challenging parts of this Unit for me was understanding Mendel's Laws. Some of the laws such as the law of segregation and independent assortment were very complex and challenging for me to understand. Also the more difficult parts of genetics that we touched on such as epistasis and polygenetic were not easy for me to grasp either. However making the infographic and the coin sex lab made it easier for me to visualize what I was learning about and definitely made the topics easier to understand. The infographic was almost like a review on the whole Unit so not only did it help me to revise topics for the test but all the research I did for the infographic definitely helped me get a deeper understanding on concepts I needed help with.
From this Unit I have learned that in order to really understand any of the topics it is essential to actively listen to the vodcast. However I have also learned that listening is not always enough and it is important to take my own time to review difficult concepts. Overall in this Unit I have learned a lot about the basics of genetics and how I can be a better student for the future.
