Topic 6 - Inheritance, Variation And Evolution Flashcards
1
Q
Give three reasons why understanding the human genome is important for science and medicine.
A
Allows scientists to identify genes in the genome that are linked to different types of disease. Knowing which genes are linked to inherited diseases could help us develop effective treatments for them.
They can use genomes to trace the migration of certain populations of people around the world.
2
Q
What is a mutation?
A
A random change in an organism’s DNA
3
Q
Explain why the function of a protein may be affected by gene mutation.
A
Mutations change the DNA base sequence.
Alters the amino acids the bases code for.
Changes the shape of the protein the amino acids make up, potentially affecting its function.
