Genetics

During our genetics unit, we will examine the reasons why we look the way we do, and why each person looks slightly different from every other person.  We will discuss the history of genetics including the work of Gregor Mendel and James Watson, Francis Crick, Maurice Wilkins, and Rosilind Franklin.  Students will learn about the inheritance of dominant and recessive traits, how to use Punnet Squares to predict the possible outcomes of a genetic cross, and how to use a pedigree chart to trace the inheritance of a trait within a family tree.  During this unit we will discuss how mutations occur, and how mutations and natural selection have caused organisms to change over time.