Genetics

 

When I started my undergraduate career there were a few things I had misconceptions about. One was regarding inheritance/genetics. I for some reason always thought that when a baby was conceived that the chromosomes mixed together (like swirling together two paint colors making a new color) which ultimately created the appearance (genotype & phenotype) of the child. During genetics class in Spring of 2020 is when I realized this idea was incorrect. During that class I realized that while the zygote will get on copy of alleles from each parent the alleles don’t exactly mix, more so the combination of the alleles determines what phenotype is shown. However, they can be a little “mixing” through crossing over and recombination but that is shown in the zygote if that is the allele that get by chance. I would day that this understanding was gradual throughout the class.

Another misconception I had was about mutations. I always assumed that mutations where bad, and this idea was almost solidified in my Cell and Molecular Biology course. My understanding that this was not true was an “ah-ha” moment during my Genetics course. I realized that some mutations can be completely silent, and that at times it can be beneficial by providing variation or by changing to create a more successfully reproduction.

I still lack some clarity regarding mutations. I get confused on how some categories of mutations can be both good or bad, and how to determine which it is quickly.