Skip to main content
Library homepage
 

Text Color

Text Size

 

Margin Size

 

Font Type

Enable Dyslexic Font
Biology LibreTexts

1.1: Introduction

( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\)

Learning Objectives
  • Define genes, genome, chromosomes and karyotype
  • Explain how DNA carries and maintains genetic information
  • Describe DNA sequencing and genomics
  • Discuss how genomics can be useful for fields such as conservation biology, forensic science and epidemiology
genetic-individuality--male-body-with-dna-548001023-59f9d183af5d3a0010859452.jpg
Figure 1.1.1: The Human Genome Project (HGP) made a map of the genes of a human being. (Copyright; author via source)

We are living in the “Post-genomic era”  in which you can pay a company like “23 and Me” or “Ancestry” $100-200, spit into a tube, and in about two months, find out everything you need to know about your ancestry, genetic traits, risks for getting certain genetic diseases, etc. These advances would not be possible without the efforts of scientists across the world studying human genetics and genomics. The US National Institute of Health (NIH) and the US Department of Energy (DOE) launched the Human Genome Project (HGP) in 1990, an international consortium with participating scientists from the UK, France, Australia, China, Germany, etc. aimed at sequencing the entire human genome. Scientists started out mapping the human genome (Figure 1), by determining the locations of many genes on the 23 haploid chromosomes. They then determined the nucleotide sequences of the genes (called coding sequences) and other non-coding sequences in the genome. The project took 13 years (completed in 2003), and provided the first blueprint of the human genome.

Genetics – is the scientific study of heredity and the variation of inherited characteristics. It includes the study of genes, themselves, how they function, interact, and produce the visible and measurable characteristics we see in individuals and populations of species as they change from one generation to the next, over time, and in different environments.

Heredity – Humans have always been aware that the characteristics of an individual plant or animal in a population could be passed down through the generations. Offspring look more like their parents.Humans also knew that some heritable characteristics (such as the size or color of fruit) varied between individuals, and that they could select or breed crops and animals for the most favorable traits. Knowledge of these hereditary properties has been of significant value in the history of human development. In the past, humans could only manipulate and select from naturally existing combinations of genes. More recently, with the discovery of the substance and nature of genetic material, DNA, we can now identify, clone, and create novel, better combinations of genes that will serve our goals. Understanding the mechanisms of genetics is fundamental to using it wisely and for the betterment of all.

Fig1.1.png

Fig.1-1: Parent and offspring. Wolf’s Monkey. (Flickr-eclectic echos-CC:AND)

Example 1.1.1

If the human haploid genome (1 set of genetic material that you inherit from one parent, 23 chromosomes) contains about 3 billion (3 X 10^9) nucleotides, 0.1% of the genome corresponds to how many base pairs?

Solution

To do this calculation, 

Exercise 1.1.1

Add exercises text here.

Answer

Add texts here. Do not delete this text first.

Figure 1.1.1: The Human Genome Project (HGP) made a map of the genes of a human being. (Copyright; author via source)


1.1: Introduction is shared under a not declared license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

  • Was this article helpful?

Support Center

How can we help?