Question 1

The heritability ratio of having a liver is ____.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The heritability ratio of having a liver...

Question 2

Two groups of students (Group A and Group B)participate in standardized agility tests.The results show that Group A is considerably more agile than Group B and that agility is heritable.What can we conclude?

Accepted Answer

The fact that agility is heritable implies that genetic factors play a role in determining agility. However, we cannot conclude anything about the genetic variability between or within the two groups, or the effect of environment on agility based on the information given.

Question 3

What is an argument against using adoption studies for assessing the relative influences of genetics and environment on child development?

Accepted Answer

Adoptive parents often undergo a rigorous screening process, which can lead to a lack of diversity in socioeconomic status, education, and other factors. This homogeneity can make it difficult to generalize findings from adoption studies to the broader population, potentially skewing the assessment of genetic versus environmental influences.

Question 4

Which statement best illustrates the concept of heritability?

Accepted Answer

Savannah inherited the mutated BRCA1 gene, increasing her risk for certain cancers.Heritability refers to the proportion of variation in a trait that is due to genetic factors. In this case, Savannah's risk for certain cancers is increased due to her inheritance of the mutated BRCA1 gene.

Question 5

What do modern biologists describe as the "descent with modification from a common ancestor"?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What do modern biologists describe as the...

Question 6

Humans share what percent of their genes with fruit flies?

Accepted Answer

Humans share around 44% of their genes with fruit flies, which may seem like a small percentage, but still points to a strong evolutionary connection between the two species.

Question 7

The statistical likelihood that variations observed in a population are due to genetics is referred to as ____.

Accepted Answer

The statistical likelihood that variations observed in a population are due to genetics is referred to as heritability. It indicates the extent to which variation observed in a population is due to genetics.

Question 8

Dr.Mahr is studying the heritability of shyness.Because her research participants are adolescents from different socio-economic groups across the county,the heritability of self-confidence will appear to be ____.

Accepted Answer

The heritability of self-confidence is likely to be low because Dr. Mahr's research participants are adolescents from different socio-economic groups across the county. This suggests that environmental factors such as upbringing and socialization are likely to play a larger role in shaping their self-confidence than genetics.

Question 9

The process by which survival and reproduction pressures in the wild have an effect on mating is referred to as ____.

Accepted Answer

Natural selection is the scientific concept that refers to the process by which organisms best adapted to their environment tend to survive and reproduce more successfully than other organisms. This process results in certain traits becoming more common in a population over time, including traits related to mating and reproduction. This can include things like elaborate courtship displays or physical characteristics that make an individual more attractive to potential mates. Coercive inheritance, randomized lineage, and genetic exclusion are not recognized scientific concepts.

Question 10

A new field known as _______________ has emerged to explore the epigenetic influences of diet.

Accepted Answer

Nutrigenomics is the field that studies the interaction between genes, diet, and health. It explores how nutrients and bioactive compounds in food affect gene expression and ultimately influence an individual's health. Epigenetics is an important component of nutrigenomics because it investigates how dietary factors can change epigenetic marks on DNA, which can impact gene activity and health outcomes. This field is sometimes also referred to as nutritional genomics.

Question 11

What allows for variation within the human species?

Accepted Answer

Alleles are different versions of the same gene, and they allow for variations within the human species. Alleles can lead to differences in physical traits such as eye color, hair color, and height, as well as differences in health outcomes and susceptibility to diseases.

Question 12

Why does Huntington's disease have a heritability ratio of 1.0?

Accepted Answer

Huntington's disease has a heritability ratio of 1.0 because it is a genetic disorder caused by a specific dominant gene, and if someone inherits this gene, they will inevitably develop the disease, indicating that the trait is entirely determined by genetics with no environmental influence.

Question 13

Dr.Pohlson is studying the heritability of self-confidence.Because all of his research participants are upper-middle class adolescents from the same private school in New York City,the heritability of self-confidence will appear to be ____.

Accepted Answer

Heritability estimates tend to be higher when the environmental differences among individuals are minimized, as is the case with participants from the same socio-economic background and school.

Question 14

Humans share what percent of their genes with mice?

Accepted Answer

Humans share approximately 92% of their genes with mice. This is because both species are mammals and share a common ancestor. Despite the differences in appearance and behavior, many of the fundamental genetic processes are conserved between humans and mice, making them valuable model organisms for biomedical research.

Question 15

Which gene is thought to play a major role on distinctly human behaviors,including the development of spoken language?

Accepted Answer

FoxP2 is a gene that is known to play a major role in distinctly human behaviors, including the development of spoken language. Mutations in the FoxP2 gene have been linked to language disorders such as dyslexia and apraxia of speech, suggesting its importance in the development of language.

Question 16

Heritability of most human traits is typically in the range of ____.

Accepted Answer

Heritability estimates for most human traits typically fall within the range of 30% to 60%.

Question 17

What do humans share that allows them to be so similar to one another,but different from other animals?

Accepted Answer

Humans share many of the same genes with one another, which contribute to their similarities. However, they also have distinct genetic variations that make them unique from other animals. Therefore, genes are the best choice for this question. Alleles, number of chromosomes, and structure of DNA are all important factors in genetics, but they do not fully account for the similarities and differences among humans and other animals.

Question 18

If genes play no part in producing phenotypical differences between individuals,heritability is ____.

Accepted Answer

If genes play no part in producing phenotypical differences between individuals, then heritability is 0. Heritability refers to the proportion of the variation in a trait that is due to genetic factors. If there are no genetic factors contributing to the variation in a trait, then heritability is 0.

Question 19

Which scenario best illustrates the concept of natural selection?

Accepted Answer

This scenario illustrates natural selection because individuals with sickle cell anemia are better adapted to survive in malaria-prone areas, which increases their likelihood of passing on their genes to future generations. Over time, the gene for sickle cell anemia becomes more common in the population due to this selective advantage.

B does not illustrate natural selection as it is an example of artificial selection.

C is an example of inheritance patterns, not natural selection.

D is an example of epigenetic changes, which do not necessarily relate to natural selection.

Question 20

Heritability takes into account ____.

Accepted Answer

Heritability refers to the extent to which a trait is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Therefore, the correct choice is both environmental and genetic factors (C).

Quiz 3: The Evolving Mind Nature and Nurture Intertwined