DNA and Genetic Genealogy - BYU-Idaho

This semester, I am taking Introductory Genetic Genealogy at BYU-Idaho. The course is mostly "bookwork," unlike all my previous classes. However, the studying load has quadrupled. It has been a welcome change.

I remember most of the terminology from the biology refresher course taken in the 2nd semester of my first year at BYU-Idaho. It was listed in the group of classes that I needed to take to reinstate my nursing license in the State of Georgia. Each week, we get a break-in studying and taking quizzes testing our knowledge. In these hands-on assignments, we are still doing a different type of learning. 

In week three, my first hands-on project was to design an animal cell using any artistic medium. This project aimed to demonstrate an understanding of the parts of a cell. So I chose to make a two-dimensional representation of a three-dimensional cell. 

The cell model had to include the following: 

• The membrane
• The cytoplasm

The seven organelles aren't a comprehensive list of the organelles, just the ones needed to have in this assignment.

• Nucleus (medium sphere)
• Endoplasmic reticulum (around the nucleus)
• Mitochondria (multiple; oval or bean-shaped)
• Lysosomes (multiple; small spheres)
• Ribosomes (multiple; dots in comparison)
• Golgi apparatus (stack of flattened semi-circles)
• Centrioles (two; laying perpendicular to each other next to the nucleus; tube-shaped and short)

I received total points for it.


Also, in week three, we extracted our DNA using household items. I really enjoyed this assignment!

My response was: Holy smokes! My mother is in there, my dad, both sets of grandparents, both sets of great grandparents! That's my DNA!

If you want to try it with the littles or yourself, just to see what it looks like, here are the instructions 5-Minute DNA extraction.  

In week four we were instructed to make chromosomes from modeling clay and simulate meiosis. These five different stages show how our genetics are formed. 

Our chromosomes go through this process to create diversity. This is the foundation of DNA that is necessary to develop individuals.

I haven't played with Play-Doh since I was a young child. Then maybe when my daughter was young, but since then, nope. This was a fun project but very time-consuming.

In week five we created a 3D DNA Molecule. This was to help us understand the makeup and structure of a DNA molecule. If it is a spiral staircase and you are standing at the bottom, your right hand would be on the outer rail as you climbed the stairs. DNA is made of chemical building blocks called nucleotides. These building blocks are made of three parts: a phosphate group and a sugar group which is the backbones. The four types of nitrogen bases are Adenine (pairs with thymine), Thymine (pairs with adenine), Guanine (pairs with cytosine), Cytosine (pairs with guanine). To form a strand of DNA, nucleotides are linked into chains, with the phosphate and sugar groups alternating.

So this is what I've been up to during these last five weeks, besides taking quizzes and tests. 

Only nine more weeks of school left, then Spring break! This means for me it is time for all the vegetables that I've started growing in the house on gro-mats and under grow lights to get planted in the garden. 

My next blog post will be a family history project I worked on.