Requirement #6: Genetics @ life¶
\(\boxed{\mathbb{REQ}\Large \rightsquigarrow}\) Discuss with your counselor how genetics and genomics affect your everyday life and how you think it will affect your life in the future.
Additional Challenge
Information is coded in DNA with 4 small molecules, also known as bases. Those molecules are usually referred to a “A”, “C”, “G”, and “T”. Can you find out what those letters stand for? As an additional challenge, find out what molecules are used to code information in RNA (see definition under Requirement #1).
Tip
Genetic testing is a type of medical test that identifies changes in chromosomes, genes, or proteins. The results of a genetic test can confirm or rule out a suspected genetic condition or help determine a person’s chance of developing or passing on a genetic disorder.
In addition to being used as medical tool, a number of people now test their DNA for tracing their roots and finding relatives.
Genetic testing can be done to find out about inherited mutations tied to a disease such as cancer, and thus take precautions before a cancer develops. This image was obtained from https://www.uclahealth.org/cancer-genetics/genetic-testing-for-cancer where a short description is provided to show how genetic testing for cancer works.¶
Tip
Additional resources
Attention
Once you have completed this requirement, make sure you document it in your worksheet!