I’ve been writing up my talks and am surprised how long it has taken me to get through the material. For now, I thought I’d address some common questions: what is a chromosome vs. a sister chromatid? what n value do you use? (especially during meiosis)
Mixed up Chromosomes
We can mix up our strings of DNA (chromosomes) in a few ways. This week, we’ll talk about translocations. We’ve talked about the correct number of chromosomes in a karyotype and banding. To refresh, humans have 46 chromosomes or 23 pairs of chromosomes in our regular (somatic cells). Eggs have 23 chromosomes and sperm have […]
Chromosome Disorders
Our DNA is pretty cool. We get half our DNA from our mom and half from our dad and we function best when we have two copies of each chromosome. Having too much or too little of each section of DNA can lead to disease.
What are chromosome bands? Pet peeve included
Humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes and having too much or too little chromosomes or sections of chromosome can lead to disease. As mentioned in the introduction to karyotypes, size is one way to distinguish chromosomes but chromosome bands also help label the chromosomes. One pet peeve is the way that non-experts say the location […]
Human Chromosomes and Karyotype
We will start talking about human genetics at the point of chromosomes.We need to know the basics of chromosome organization and identification to understand the mechanisms and tests for common chromosome disorders.
Intro to MedGen
I enjoy talking about Medical Genetics and at my local medical school, I have a good reputation for helping out novice or anxious students. One student calls me the ‘genetics whisperer’ and another was nice enough to call me a ‘genetics goddess’. On their request – and they buttered me up so well – I’m […]