Fundamental Scientific Basis of Medical Genetics

Question 1

This refers to the science of human biological variation as it relates to health and disease.

Answer 1

Medical genetics

Question 2

Despite the fact that people have long been aware that individuals differ, that children tend to resemble their parents and that certain diseases tend to run in families, the scientific foundation for these observations was only discovered during the past ___ years.

Answer 2

140

Question 3

Before Mendel, parental characteristics were believed to blend in the offspring. This conjecture is acceptable for what kind of trait?

Answer 3

Continuous trait such as height and pigmentation

Question 4

Blending of parental characteristics cannot account for family patterns of what type of characteristics?

Answer 4

Discontinuous trait such as hemophilia and albinism

Question 5

Mendel studied clearly defined pairs of contrasting characters in the offspring of what plant?

Answer 5

Garden pea (Pisum sativum)

Question 6

How many individual pea plants did Mendel study before publishing his work in 1865?

Answer 6

28, 000