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  • Essay / The Theory of Evolution - 1109

    There are many different theories surrounding the topic of evolution. One of them is the concept of genetic inheritance. Genetic inheritance is the transmission of genes from parents to their offspring. This occurs during the process of meiosis in the formation of eggs and sperm. When the cell divides, the total number of chromosomes decreases by half. When the egg and sperm come together, half of the genes from each parent are passed on to the offspring (Mandal, 2013). The theory of evolution is defined as the change in inherited traits of a population over successive generations (Forbes, 2010). Changing genes over time leads to evolution. These changes occur through genetic inheritance, that is, the transmission of genes from parent to offspring, generation after generation. Genes are inherited through many processes. Autosomal dominant inheritance means that if a person carries one copy of that gene, the trait is likely to develop in the offspring (Mandal, 2013). The inherited gene is dominant over other genes. This means that only one parent can pass on the gene for the trait to be passed on. As shown in Figure i) (bottom left), if a parent carries an altered gene for a dominant disease, each of their children has a 50%, or 1 in 2, chance of inheriting the altered gene. It is the same for all children (Mandal, 2013). Autosomal recessive inheritance is the transmission of a second working copy of a gene. With recessive genes, only if a person inherits two modified copies of the same gene from each parent is it likely to be expressed (Mandal, 2013). As shown in Figure ii) (bottom right), if both parents carry the defective gene on alleles, they will likely pass on their defective gene to only 25% of their offspring. ..children or not, depending on the risks. Without our in-depth knowledge of genetic heritage, parents would not have this ability to potentially prevent future hereditary disorders or diseases. Genetically modified vaccines are also a technology that could be created from knowledge of genetic heritage. A genetically modified vaccine is the deliberate modification of a gene to fight a disease. The genes are programmed to produce an antiviral protein in a bacterial cell to fight disease (Unknown, 2011). The role that genetic heritage will have to play in the future is very important. Through the continued study of genetic heritage, a better understanding of genetic diseases will improve treatments and therapies. The human species will continue to evolve through changing traits and characteristics; It’s genetic inheritance..