Module 6 Lesson 9 - 7
Completion requirements
Lesson 9 — Pedigree Analysis
Lesson Summary
During this lesson, you explored the following focusing question:
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What technologies exist to help explain and predict the inheritance of traits in breeding programs or family histories?
Pedigrees and Punnett squares are two excellent technologies that help represent inheritance visually. They can be used to predict the probabilities of future expressions of a trait, and they can help determine the mode of inheritance of that trait.
Until Gregor Mendel conducted careful breeding experiments with garden peas, the moving of traits from one generation to another was a mystery. Using Mendel's basic principles, we can arrange more effective breeding programs for agriculture or give meaningful council to young couples about the chances of their baby having a unique disorder. Combining those principles with Morgan's evidence that genes occur on chromosomes, we can design tests for the presence of genes and even target specific genes for transfer to other organisms. With the conclusion of the human genome project, we now have a complete map of all human genes. As scientists discover how genes work together and how each gene is expressed, we will come closer to understanding our complete genetic make-up, enabling us to predict more accurately the results of future generations, even manipulating those results to meet our needs and/or desires.