Evidence
For this project we had to analyze mock crime scene evidence and use forensic science and our knowledge of genetics to find Carleton Comet's killer. Using pedigrees, karyotypes, ink chromatography, and DNA fingerprinting, we concluded that Nancy Normal must have killed Carleton Comet.
content
Pedigree - A diagram that uses the family tree of an individual to assess their risk of certain genetic conditions that their close ancestors had. We used a pedigree to find out if any of the suspects of the murder had a condition that could have motivated them to kill Carleton.
Karyotype - A diagram that displays the chromosomes of an individual. It can be used to identify chromosome disorders in them. We analyzed the karyotypes of all the suspects and identified chromosome disorders.
Ink chromatography - In this process, a piece of paper that has ink on it is partially submerged in alcohol, As the alcohol moves up the paper, it separates the ink into its component colors. We used this method to identify who wrote the death note at the murder scene.
DNA fingerprinting - In this method, gel electrophoresis is used to separate specific strands of DNA in a DNA sample so it can be compared to another sample.
Genetic Disease - A disease caused by a mutation in our DNA.
Genetic Mutation - A mistake in our genome, may be harmless, or may cause a genetic disease.
Point mutation - A mutation where only a single nucleotide is changed.
Frameshift mutation - A genetic mutation that affects a larger part of the genome. It may also be a point mutation, as long as it affects a large portion of the DNA.
Substitution - A type of point mutation where a single nucleotide is switched out for another. It may either be a missense mutation (where the result is a wrong amino acid), or a nonsense mutation (where the result is a premature stop codon).
Insertion - A point mutation where a random nucleotide is added to the sequence. This affects the positions of all the nucleotides after the mutation, making it a frameshift mutation.
Deletion - The same thing as an insertion, except a nucleotide is removed.
Germline mutation - A mutation is germline if it occurs in gametes, this means it will be passed on to all offspring of the individual.
Complete Dominance - When a trait is completely dominant over another, it will always be expressed when an allele coding for it is present. The other trait is then called recessive, and is only expressed when both alleles code for it.
Co-dominance - When two traits are co-dominant, they are both dominant. This means that in a heterozygous individual, both traits will be expressed, ie. a spotted flower.
Incomplete Dominance - When two traits have incomplete dominance, neither is dominant. This results in a third phenotype expressed in heterozygous individuals.
Punnet Squares - A diagram used to assess the probability of an offspring's traits based on the alleles of the parents.
Genetic Engineering - Using technology to alter the genome of an organism to benefit human use.
Karyotype - A diagram that displays the chromosomes of an individual. It can be used to identify chromosome disorders in them. We analyzed the karyotypes of all the suspects and identified chromosome disorders.
Ink chromatography - In this process, a piece of paper that has ink on it is partially submerged in alcohol, As the alcohol moves up the paper, it separates the ink into its component colors. We used this method to identify who wrote the death note at the murder scene.
DNA fingerprinting - In this method, gel electrophoresis is used to separate specific strands of DNA in a DNA sample so it can be compared to another sample.
Genetic Disease - A disease caused by a mutation in our DNA.
Genetic Mutation - A mistake in our genome, may be harmless, or may cause a genetic disease.
Point mutation - A mutation where only a single nucleotide is changed.
Frameshift mutation - A genetic mutation that affects a larger part of the genome. It may also be a point mutation, as long as it affects a large portion of the DNA.
Substitution - A type of point mutation where a single nucleotide is switched out for another. It may either be a missense mutation (where the result is a wrong amino acid), or a nonsense mutation (where the result is a premature stop codon).
Insertion - A point mutation where a random nucleotide is added to the sequence. This affects the positions of all the nucleotides after the mutation, making it a frameshift mutation.
Deletion - The same thing as an insertion, except a nucleotide is removed.
Germline mutation - A mutation is germline if it occurs in gametes, this means it will be passed on to all offspring of the individual.
Complete Dominance - When a trait is completely dominant over another, it will always be expressed when an allele coding for it is present. The other trait is then called recessive, and is only expressed when both alleles code for it.
Co-dominance - When two traits are co-dominant, they are both dominant. This means that in a heterozygous individual, both traits will be expressed, ie. a spotted flower.
Incomplete Dominance - When two traits have incomplete dominance, neither is dominant. This results in a third phenotype expressed in heterozygous individuals.
Punnet Squares - A diagram used to assess the probability of an offspring's traits based on the alleles of the parents.
Genetic Engineering - Using technology to alter the genome of an organism to benefit human use.
reflection
I felt like my group and I performed very well on this project, we made sure that we included everything that needed to, and we used the evidence that we gathered to come to a conclusion about who murdered Carleton Comet. One thing that we did well in this project was collaborate. We always split up the work and got along well. A second thing we did well in this project was analyze our evidence. We spent most of our time coming to conclusions about the murder using the evidence we gathered from the experiments. A final thing we did well in this project was perform our experiments. We made sure to follow the instructions so we would get the best results possible. There were also some thing that we didn't do that well. One of these was leadership in our team. We didn't have a clear leader and this lead to us taking too long with decisions. Another thing we didn't do that well was our presentation. It could have been a little more polished. A third thing that could have been done better was our agreement with evaluating the evidence. We all had trouble explaining our thoughts to each other and it's something we need to work on.