Biological Beginnings Flashcards

1
Q

natural selection

A

evolutionary process by which those individuals of a species that are best adapted are the ones that survive and reproduce

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2
Q

Darwin

A

On the Origin of Species, adaptation to survive & pass on genes

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3
Q

adaptive behavior

A

behavior that promotes an organism’s survival in the natural habitat

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4
Q

evolutionary psychology

A

emphasizes importance of adaptation, reproduction, and “survival of the fittest” in shaping behavior

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5
Q

Buss

A

evolution pervasively influences our aggression, fears, and mating habits

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6
Q

extended childhood of humans

A

to develop large brain and experiences necessary to become competent adults before reproducing

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7
Q

Baltes

A

benefits conferred by evolutionary selection decrease with age, thereby making old age filled w/diseases & disorders like Alzheimer’s that would have been weeded out through natural selection if it affected more 20 year-olds

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8
Q

bidirectional evolutionary view

A

just as our environment shapes us, we shape our environments, cyclical

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9
Q

chromosomes

A

nucleus of human cells, threadlike DNA structures

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10
Q

DNA

A

complex molecule w/ double helix shape (like a spiral staircase) that carry genetic info

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11
Q

Gene

A

units of hereditary info, short segments of DNA, humans have about 20,500 genes that collaborate with each other and with nongenetic factors inside & outside the body

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12
Q

mitosis

A

cell reproduction wherein nucleus duplicates itself and then cell divides, each w/ 23 pairs of chromosomes

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13
Q

meiosis

A

person reproduction where cell of the testes or ovaries duplicates its chromosomes but then divides twice, forming 4 cells with half the genetic material each so that each egg or sperm has 23 unpaired chromosomes

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14
Q

fertilization

A

egg & sperm fuse to create a single cell, called a zygote

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15
Q

X & Y chromosomes

A

females-23rd pair is XX

males-23rd pair is XY

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16
Q

genetic variability

A

combining genes of 2 parents is valuable b/c there are more characteristics for natural selection to operate on

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17
Q

genotype

A

all of a person’s genetic material

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18
Q

phenotype

A

observable characteristics, expressed genetic material

19
Q

dominant vs. recessive genes

A

dominant-the gene that exerts its effects

recessive-the gene that is overridden by the dominant one, only being expressed if both genes in the pair are recessive

20
Q

X-linked inheritance

A

when a mutated gene is carried on the X chromosome
In males (who have no “back-up” X) it will express itself.
In females it will usually be overridden.

21
Q

genetic imprinting

A

the expression of a gene has different effects depending on whether the mother or the father passed it on

22
Q

polygenic inheritance

A

the interaction of many different genes that affect a characteristic

23
Q

chromosomal abnormalities

A

lack of appropriate number of chromosomes

Down syndrome, Klinefelter syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, Turner syndrome, XYY syndrome

24
Q

gene-linked abnormalities

A

presence of harmful genes

Phenylketonuria (PKU), Sickle-cell anemia

25
Q

ultrasound sonography

A

prenatal medical procedure in which high-frequency sound waves are directed into the pregnant woman’s abdomen, no risk, detects structural abnormalities

26
Q

fetal MRI

A

magnetic resonance imaging uses a magnet and radio images to generate detailed images of the body’s organs and structures

27
Q

chorionic villus sampling

A

prenatal medical procedure in which a small sample of the placenta is removed

28
Q

amniocentesis

A

prenatal medical procedure in which a sample of amniotic fluid is withdrawn by syringe and tested for chromosomal or metabolic disorders

29
Q

triple screen

A

maternal blood test to determine elevated risk for birth defects

30
Q

noninvasive prenatal diagnosis

A

isolating and examining fetal cells circulating in the mother’s blood and analyzing cell-free fetal DNA in maternal plasma

31
Q

infertility

A

approx. 10-15% of couples in the US struggle; more than 2 million couples seek help for infertility yearly

32
Q

adoption

A

children adopted very early in life have better outcomes than those adopted as older children

33
Q

behavior genetics

A

field that seeks to discover the influence of heredity and environment on individual differences in human traits and development

34
Q

twin study

A

behavioral similarity of identical twins is compared with the behavioral similarity of fraternal twins

35
Q

adoption study

A

investigators seek to discover whether behavior and psychological characteristics of adopted children are more like those of their adoptive parents or their biological parents

36
Q

heredity-environment correlations

A

individuals’ genes may influence the types of environments to which they are exposed

37
Q

passive genotype-environment correlations

A

biological parents, who are genetically related to the child, also provide the rearing environment

38
Q

evocative genotype-environment correlations

A

a child’s characteristics elicit certain types of environments

39
Q

active (niche-picking) genotype-environment correlations

A

children seek out environments they find compatible and stimulating

40
Q

shared environmental experiences

A

siblings’ common experiences

41
Q

nonshared environmental experiences

A

a child’s unique experiences, both with the family and outside the family

42
Q

epigenetic view

A

development is the result of an ongoing, bidirectional interchange between heredity and the environment

43
Q

G X E interaction

A

gene X environment interaction

the interaction of a specific measured variation in the DNA and a specific measured aspect of the environment

44
Q

pharmacogenetics

A

study of gene-environment interaction involving the individual’s genotype and drug treatment