Project Description
In this project our group had to correctly identify who committed the murder against Carelton Comet, by conducting multiple experiments which all gave evidence to identify who committed the crime. The experiments we conducted were color fingerprinting, karyotypes, testing for blood types, DNA fingerprinting, ink chromatography, and pedigrees. All these labs together concluded that Nancy Normal was the murderer who's accomplice was Sam Sophomore.
Concepts
Karyotype: A karyotype is an appearance of chromosomes that are numbered and paired by size and used to show genetic diseases. Using karyotypes we figured out what chromosomal disorder each person had at the crime scenes. Nancy Normal had Triple X Syndrome, which matched the chromosomal disorder at one of the crime scenes
Pedigree: A pedigree chart displays a family tree, and shows the members of the family who are affected by a Genetic trait. They record ancestry of a person or family and shows diseases and how they were passed down. We used this to trace the family histories of the suspects, showing the diseases that each person had. Nancy Normal had Huntington's Disease.
Genetic disease: A genetic disorder is a genetic problem caused by one or more abnormalities in the genome, especially a condition that is present from birth (congenital). Most genetic disorders are quite rare and affect one person in every several thousands or millions. We used this because Marfan's Syndrome and Huntington's Disease were passed down throughout the families of the suspects, and Nancy Normal had Huntington's Disease.
Mutation: A mutation occurs when a DNA gene is damaged or changed in such a way as to alter the genetic message carried by that gene. We analyzed the mutations of the suspects to find out who killed Comet. There are six main types of mutations.
Punnett Squares:The punnett square is a square diagram that is used to predict an outcome of a particular cross or breeding experiment. The diagram is used by biologists to determine the probability of an offspring having a particular genotype. There are two different types of Punnett Squares. Monohybrid crosses are 2x2 grids while dihybrid crosses are 4x4 grids. We did not use these in the project.
Pedigree: A pedigree chart displays a family tree, and shows the members of the family who are affected by a Genetic trait. They record ancestry of a person or family and shows diseases and how they were passed down. We used this to trace the family histories of the suspects, showing the diseases that each person had. Nancy Normal had Huntington's Disease.
Genetic disease: A genetic disorder is a genetic problem caused by one or more abnormalities in the genome, especially a condition that is present from birth (congenital). Most genetic disorders are quite rare and affect one person in every several thousands or millions. We used this because Marfan's Syndrome and Huntington's Disease were passed down throughout the families of the suspects, and Nancy Normal had Huntington's Disease.
Mutation: A mutation occurs when a DNA gene is damaged or changed in such a way as to alter the genetic message carried by that gene. We analyzed the mutations of the suspects to find out who killed Comet. There are six main types of mutations.
- insertion- mutations in which extra base pairs are inserted into a new place in the DNA
- deletion- mutations in which a section of DNA is lost, or deleted.
- substitution- mutations that exchange one base for another.
- frameshift- include insertions and deletions. Since protein-coding DNA is divided into codons three bases long, insertions and deletions can alter a gene so that its message is no longer correctly parsed.
- point- include substitutions. They only change a small part of a gene
Punnett Squares:The punnett square is a square diagram that is used to predict an outcome of a particular cross or breeding experiment. The diagram is used by biologists to determine the probability of an offspring having a particular genotype. There are two different types of Punnett Squares. Monohybrid crosses are 2x2 grids while dihybrid crosses are 4x4 grids. We did not use these in the project.
Reflection
Overall this project went fairly well. My group and I learned a lot about forensic science and how crimes are solved using it. One thing I believe I did well on this project were my leadership skills. One of our group members was absent for a little bit so I picked up the slack and took on leadership qualities to help my group finish the project out to the end. Also when one of my group members got off task, I helped them out by giving them work to do that would benefit our group in a positive way. Another skill that I performed well in this project would be my cooperation. In this project I really listened to my group members opinions and didn't just do what I wanted. Working as a team is really beneficial toward the end goal for the project. Although my leadership and cooperation excelled in this project, I didn't have that much empathy toward a group member or two. I would get irritated quite easily what a group member goofed off, but instead of getting mad I nudged them in the right direction. A problem our group ran into was when a group member was absent for a few days. This prompted the rest of us to really dig in and get the work done. Although it set us back a little bit we recovered nicely. A peak our group had was when we powered through and finished our slideshow presentation. This really helped us because it gave it the motivation to practice our presentation and perfect it. A low Point our group had would be one group members slacked off and didn't do the necessary work. However, these problems can be easily avoided in the next project.