Interactive Biology, by Leslie Samuel

In this section, I talk about changes to DNA Sequence, a.k.a Mutations. Mutations can lead to some significant problems, but in some cases, they can also lead to a trait that is beneficial to an organism, helping it better survive in its particular environment. There are different types of mutations, and these different types vary in how much of a difference they can make in an organism’s genetic code. Any change to the genetic code can result in a change in the proteins, which can result in a significant change in an organism’s traits.

DNA is expressed and put into action through proteins. These proteins are involved in structural support and they also act as enzymes. Enzymes are involved in all of the chemical reactions that happen in the body. In this lecture, I first talk about the relationship between DNA and Protein and how this relationship leads to all of the traits that an organism expresses. I then go into the differences between DNA and RNA.

Deoxyribonucleic Acid – You know, the word that everyone likes to say. The blueprint of all living organism that controls every trait that an organism expresses. It makes you who you are, because it is the foundation of who you are. In this lecture, I talk about the structure of DNA. It is a polymer that is made up of subunits called nucleotides. DNA controls our traits through the production of protein and these proteins are responsible for all functions of life.

Meiosis is a process that body cells undergo that results in the production of gametes (sex cells). The male gamete is the sperm and the female gamete is the egg. When a cell undergoes meiosis, the end result is 4 gametes, with half as much genetic information (haploid). In this section, I talk about Chromosomes and genes and how the process of Meiosis plays a vital role in living things. I also go through the steps of Meiosis in some detail.

At the end, I talk about mistakes that can happen in Meiosis and how this can either lead to significant problems or (in some cases) benefits, depending on the organism involved.

Gregor Mendel is known as the Father of Modern Genetics. His work on pea plants form the basis for what we know about how traits are passed on from Parents to Offspring. In this video, I deal with his Laws of Heredity and also with some terms that are essential to our understanding of genetics. We look at the Punnett Square and how it’s useful in making predictions. Why do you look the way you look and what role do your genes place? These are some of the exciting concepts I cover in this section.