The Human Genographic Project

This homework is based on this website:

https://www3.nationalgeographic.com/genographic/index.html

This will take you to the Human Genographic website.  I encourage you to explore this site as we study the topic.  To begin with, there are three parts to the homework:

Part I

Find the GENETICS OVERVIEW tab and open it.  Within GENETICS OVERVIEW you'll see four buttons, the first two being ANATOMY OF OUR GENES and GENETIC SIGNPOSTS.  ANATOMY OF OUR GENES has four pages.  Review all four and read the text before answering the questions.  Hopefully this is all review material for you.

1.  What is a genome?

2.  The baby in this picture is displaying five types of cells, but the labels are only giving you the easy common names.  You, however, have learned the BIG SCIENTIFIC NAMES for these cells.  So, list both (use your book to find the other terms if you forgot.)

                                                common names                                            BIG SCIENTIFIC names

                        a.

                        b.

                        c.

                        d.

                        e.

3.  You may recall that mitochondria have their own set of DNA (their very own genome.)  How does it behave differently from the DNA of the nucleus?

4.  If you stretched out all the DNA from ONE of your cells, how long would it be?

5.  Which base sequence (not base pairs) does the website give as an example for a single gene?

Now go on to the next button GENETIC SIGNPOSTS.  Again read the text (this time only three pages) to answer the questions.

Part II

1.  How does this page define "mutations?"

2.  What are the three genetic structures that can pass down genetic information?

3.  What type (or types) undergo combination? (study the diagram and play with the three buttons at the bottom)

4.  What type (or types) do not combine?

5.  Why does the y chromosome remain largely unaltered generation after generation?  In other words, why doesn't it undergo recombination?

6.  What does NRY stand for?

7.  What is the one thing that can change the y chromosome over time?

8.  What is the female counterpart to the y chromosome?  How do these differ (in terms of who can inherit them)?

9.  Why are these only passed down from the mother?

10.  What is the significance of the HVR 1&2 region?

Now go back to the MAIN MENU.  Click on ABOUT THE PROJECT.  You should see a global map. 

Part III

Geneticist Spencer Wells is leading the Human Genographic Project (he's the guy narrating the DVD) but, as in all large-scale scientific investigations, it is a group effort involving many scientists (these are the "Principal Investigators", which means they usually have a group of post-docs and graduate students working under them.)  The map shows the locations of eleven of these scientists.  List, in any order, all eleven as well as their specific location (by specific I don't mean what continent they're on--which means you'll have to actually open up each tab.)

            name                                                                        location

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

EXTRA FOUR POINTS   Pick any TWO of the above scientists, read about them a bit, and tell me two interesting things about each of them.