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Question 1

What is the HGP?

Answer 1

The Human Genome Project is a huge project for which many scientists from different countries have worked together as a team to produce a map of all our genes in our DNA which allows scientists to know on which chromosome and at which exact location each gene is found.

Question 2

What does the HGP allow scientists to do? (3 things)

Answer 2

1. Indicate if a person has a risk to develop a certain disease that is hereditary.
2. Find out if a person carries a specific genetic disease.
3. To develop personalised drugs for people that cannot use the existing drugs. This is because our DNA determines how our body will react to the drug.

Question 3

What is variation?

Answer 3

The difference in the characteristics within the same species and different species.

Question 4

What are the two types of variation?

Answer 4

1. Genetic variation
2. Environmental variation

Question 5

What is genetic variation?

Answer 5

Variation that is caused by the different mixture of alleles that organisms inherit from their parents (such as eye colour, shape of nose etc.)

Question 6

What is environmental variation?

Answer 6

Variation that is cause by different environmental factors (such as pierced ears and having a tattoo).

Question 7

What are characteristics that are changed by the environment called?

Answer 7

Acquired characteristics.

Question 8

What are the two groups of variation?

Answer 8

1. Continuous variation
2. Discontinuous variation

Question 9

What is continuous variation?

Answer 9

Continuous variation in characteristics are usually a result of the environment and are called acquired characteristics.

Question 10

What is discontinuous variation?

Answer 10

Discontinuous variation in characteristics are usually caused by the instructions within the cells and are called genetic variations.

Question 11

What are two examples of continuous variation?

Answer 11

• Height
• Mass

Question 12

What are two examples of discontinuous variation?

Answer 12

• Blood group
• Gender of organisms

Question 13

What does continuous variation show when plotted on a graph and why?

Answer 13

They show a bell-shaped, normal distribution curve. This is because the most common value is the middle value in the whole range and the further a value is from the median, the fewer individuals have that value.