Genome Chapter 11

ASSIGNMENT:
Do 8th blog in GENOME


In Chapter 11, "Personality" Matt Ridley describes a gene called D4DR on the short arm of chromosome 11 that produces the protein, dopamine.  Dopamine has a variety of jobs in the body, including, blood flow through the brain and shortage of this protein can cause an indecisive personality.  (ex. Parkinson's disease).  The quote that I find very intriguing is " Dopamine is perhaps the brains's motivation chemical.  Too little and the person lacks motivation.  Too much and the person frequently seeks new adventures."  Therefore it can be concluded that chromosome 11 is responsible for the genes of personality in a human.  In order to find differences between the long and the short gene of D4DR,  Dean Hamer set out and tested numerous groups of people.  His studies concluded that "People with long D4DR genes have low responsiveness to dopamine."  So in order for them to have the same dopamine "buzz" as short-gened people automatically have, they must pretend/seek to live in a world full of adventures.  The thing that bothers me is that now in the 21st century, parents can choose different genes their child can have, including the personality gene.  I agree with Matt Ridley on "Parenting can alter an innate personality."  A parent's job is to teach their child whats right from wrong and as they continue growing they will develop similar personalities as the parent.  For example,  Therapists treat their client's problems such as "shyness"  by telling them that they are naturally shy and surprisingly began to increase interpersonal characteristics.  " Clients felt relieved to be told that their personality was a innate part of them and not just a bad habit they had got into."  Everyone is different.  Personality and behavior can both be socially and biologically determined.    But in the end, "genes are programmed not only to make social behavior, but to respond to it as well."

Genome Chapter 10

ASSIGNMENT:
Do 7th blog in GENOME

In chapter 10 of Genome, Matt Ridley talks about a gene on chromosome 10 called CYP17.  It produces an enzyme and converts cholesterol into three hormones, but the most important one is cortisol.  It is a hormone that "interferes with the immune system and alters various bodily functions."  The title of this chapter is called "Stress" because when you have a lot of cortisol in your body"you are-by definition- under stress."  Cortisol is a pesky hormone that reduces the number and lifespan of lymphocytes and as a result people who are under stress develop colds and other infections.  This is important because being under stress does cause many diseases to develop in the body.  For example, an ulcer can also be developed because of stress which can lead to gastritis.  I also learned that a human body is run both by the brain and the genome, who switch on hormone receptors.  They work simultaneously.  It's also informative that a person can prevent colds by releasing stress and instead thinking positively and living a happy life.  This relates to my life because as a junior in high school, many of my classmates and I tend to over stress in school especially when juggling AP's and extracurricular activities.  Now I know that the hormone cortisol is further more increasing our stress by worsening our immune system.  Therefore, chromosome 10 is very important in the human body and should receive higher acknowledgement.

Genome: Chapter 9

Assignment: 
Blog on 6th Genome

In Genome chapter 9, Matt Ridley talks about chromosome 9 upon which lies the gene that determines Human ABO blood group.  It's very interesting that knowing your blood type is very helpful in many scenarios.  For example "if police get lucky, they match the blood of the criminal to blood found at the scene of the crime.  The four types of universal blood groups are A, B, AB, and O.  I agree with the author that the relationship between the groups is not simple.  It depressing to know that people with type AB have the lowest percentage of people on earth with their blood type.  Therefore its much more of a hassle to find people with the same blood type as them when they are in need of it.  I learned that the difference between the "A gene and B gene is only seven letters."  " These differences are sufficient to cause an immune reaction to the wrong blood."  If someone is mistakenly given a mismatched blood transfusion, they will undergo a severe reaction and will only make their immune responses worse.  The universal donor is type O blood.  Type O patients are much more prone to infection with cholera.  Each blood group falls victim to different strains.  For example, many diseases are caused by your blood type, not by environmental conditions like many people believe.  This chapter helped me understand more about the Universal blood groups and how its important to find out your blood type.