Lecture 1: Background & Structure

Question 1

What is population genetics..

Answer 1

“The study of genetic variation in populations”
Any organisms- humans, animals, plants, microbes.
Any population- natural, artificial, experimental.
Any environment- soil, aquatic terrestrial.

Question 2

Why study population genetics?

Answer 2

• to understand how natural selection operates
• to understand genetic disease
• to understand human origins and evolution
• to help conservation biology
• forensic science
• agricultural improvement

Question 3

The first theory of inheritance..

Answer 3

Jean Baptiste de Lamarck (1744-1829)
Inheritance of acquired characteristics. Organs that are used grow bigger and offspring inherit these characters. INCORRECT

Question 4

Darwin and inheritance.

Answer 4

He knew it was a thing but didn’t know how it happened

Question 5

Mendel and inheritance..

Answer 5

1822-1884 
Father of Genetics 
Classic experiments on peas ~ 1865. 
Results knot known to Darwin.
Experiments rediscovered in 1900

Question 6

1900 -TODAY population genetic landmarks..

Answer 6

1900: Mendels law rediscovered
1907: Hardy and Weinberg independently wort out genotype frequencies
1909: Terms ‘gene’, ‘genotype’ & ‘phenotype’ invented by Johansen
1911: Morgan and co-workers discover linkage. First genetic map built
1918: Fisher resolves Mendelians V biometricians debate
1953: Watson and Crick discover structure of DNA
1977: DNA sequencing invented by Sanger
2001: Human genome sequenced
Today: Over 5 million known variable positions in the human genome