Biological Sciences

Genetics

Genetics is the study of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms. It explores how traits are passed from one generation to the next and how genetic information is expressed and regulated within an organism. By understanding genetics, scientists can gain insights into the mechanisms of inheritance, evolution, and the role of genes in health and disease.

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  • The Status of the Family in Law and Bioethics
    eBook - ePub

    The Status of the Family in Law and Bioethics

    The Genetic Context

    • Roy Gilbar(Author)
    • 2017(Publication Date)
    • Routledge
      (Publisher)
    In the first part a brief account of Genetics will be provided. This includes a medical review of genetic disorders and genetic testing, as well as a review of the psychological impact genetic information has on patients and their relationships with relatives. The second part is dedicated to the available definitions of the family in English law. It includes a review of the current position of English law regarding the family and the formulation of a biosocial definition, which is adopted in this book. Finally, in the third part of this chapter the interests of the parties in knowing and not knowing genetic information are identified. It will be argued that the discussion in the literature is unsatisfactory because it ignores other interests the parties have. 2.1 Genetics 2.1.1. Some Biological and Medical Facts 1 The first important point in Genetics is to understand what genes are and how they operate. The human body consists of many different cells, which perform specific tasks. Genes transmit the instructions for each cell to perform its assigned tasks. Although almost all cells contain a full set of genes, only those appropriate for a particular type of cell and its functions are operative. Genes are responsible for the development of the human body from the initial stage of fertilised egg to the final stage of fully-grown adult. They continue, throughout life, to provide the information necessary for maintenance and functioning of the body. They are strands of DNA located in the chromosomes that are passed on from the biological parents to their offspring at conception. The majority of human cells contain two sets of twenty three chromosomes. The forty six chromosomes contain two sets of genes. 2 One set of genes is inherited from the biological mother and the other set is inherited from the biological father. The germ cells responsible for the development of sperms and eggs carry only one set of chromosomes
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