Activity 4

1. Mutations can sometimes happen in the sex chromosomes. What do you think are the
effects if a female has a missing sex chromosome?
- The majority of people are born with two sets of sex chromosomes. The X chromosome
is passed down from mothers to sons, and the Y chromosome is passed down from
fathers to sons. Each parent gives a female one X chromosome. One copy of the X
chromosome is absent, partially missing, or altered in Turner syndrome females. Turner
syndrome occurs when one of the X chromosomes (sex chromosomes) is absent or
partially missing, affecting only females. Turner syndrome can result in a number of
medical and developmental issues, including short stature, ovarian failure, and cardiac
anomalies.

2. One beneficial mutation is using point mutation and improving food crops, resulting and
variation and yielding stronger, more disease-resistant crops. What outcomes can come
about from this type of mutation?
- A point mutation in a protein can have one of three effects: (1) a change to a different
amino acid, known as an amissense mutation; (2) a change to a termination codon,
known as a nonsense mutation; or (3) the creation of a new sequence that is silent in
terms of protein sequence but affects gene regulation, such as RNA splicing or
transcriptional expression levels.

3. Films from the Marvel and DC comics universe have shown us endless mutation
possibilities. If you could be a character and any of these universes, would you want to
have a mutation or not? If you do want a mutation, what kind would you want and why?
- Having a mutation isn’t among my priorities in life but in an alternate universe, I still
wouldn’t want one. If that mutation entails growing a set of wings or a mermaid tail, then
I would rather pass the opportunity up because they seem to be more of a hassle than
an advantage.

Performance Task

Choose a syndrome or disorder caused by a mutation and research about it summarize the
information you found in a 5-7 sentence paragraph, highlighting the cause, type, and effects of
this mutation, and your reflection about your research.

When a mutation (a negative modification to a gene, also known as a pathogenic variation)

damages your genes, or when you have an insufficient amount of genetic material, genetic
illnesses emerge. The genetics disorder I chose is one of the common ones which is Down
syndrome (Trisomy 21), a condition in which a person is born with an extra chromosome, which
affects how their brain and body develop. Most newborns are born with 46 chromosomes, with
23 pairs of chromosomes in each cell but for children with down syndrome they are born with an
additional copy of chromosome 21, which has three copies instead of the usual two. As a result,
persons with Down syndrome encounter a variety of physical and mental difficulties throughout
their lives. They have distinct physique and facial traits that distinguish them. They are more
prone to sluggish development and are more susceptible to certain medical disorders. The
composition of the human body never fails to amaze because to have a small change in the
genes of a person can a magnanimous change to the overall body.

Activity 2

Compare the humans and primates.

1. Brain (Chimp vs. Human)

- There is a visible similarity to both of the brains, such that there isn’t much of a
difference at all. The only difference that could be understood is the size of the brains, as
the human brain is significantly larger than that of the chimp’s,

2. Skull (Human, Chimpanzee, Orangutan, and Macaque)

- The jawless skulls that were shown had visible differences. The human skull weighed
1350 g, 1250 g heavier than the rest. In terms of shape, the animals had more of a
protruding shape starting from the nose to the mouth. In terms of size, the Chimpanzee
was the biggest among the four, followed by the Orangutan, the Human and lastly, the
Macaque.

3. Skeleton (Ape vs. Human)

- The difference between both skeletons are apparent. First, it would be the posture. The
Ape uses its hands and feet to walk thus, is crunched down to the ground whereas the
human, who uses only his feet, stands taller and erect. Second, the shape of the bones
such as the skull, the ribs, the arms, and the feet differ significantly.
4. Jaw (Ape vs Human)
- Although there is an obvious similarity to both, the jaw of the ape is much larger than
that of the human. The ape’s jaw also has sharper, curvier teeth compared to the
human’s straighter, more aligned set.

5. Limbs
- The ape has a flat nose and a slanting forehead. It is devoid of a chin. It has thick and
protruding brow ridges. Their arms are longer than their legs, which can extend below
the knees. Their spine is shaped like a C. They have larger toes as well, but they are
unable to walk erect. The human, on the other hand, walks tall and straight, has a
smaller head, smaller jaw, long arms but not as long as the ape. Furthermore, the
human doesn’t use its arms to walk.

Activity 3

1. Would you say that there are similarities between the chimpanzee and man? What are
these similarities?
 - Chimpanzees are the closest living relatives of humans, sharing around 98.6% of our
DNA. We have more DNA in common with chimps than with monkeys, other primates, or
even other great apes. We both enjoy playing, have deep emotions and intelligence, and
share a similar physical appearance. Looking at the picture, one can say that they can
be distant cousins with the similar head and placement of facial features (2 eyes, 1 nose,
1 mouth, 2 ears).

2. What would be the differences between the chimpanzee and man?

- While there are similarities, there are also apparent differences. One would be the actual
bones and limbs of the chimpanzee which differs greatly from that of a human from
posture to length of bones to functionality to hair growth and more. Another would be the
brain of the chimpanzee, seeing as they do not have a higher consciousness like us
humans.

3. Can genetic information as evolutionary evidence be proven by observing the physical

characteristics of organisms? Why or why not?
- Yes, I do believer that genetic information as evolutionary evidence be proven by
observing the physical characteristics of organisms because some feature that are
present in a common ancestor prove that those species may have similar physical
characteristics (homologous structures). We can also see small-scale evolution in
species with short lifecycles by direct observation (e.g., pesticide-resistant insects).
Moreover, the shared ancestry of life is reflected in DNA and genetic code. DNA
comparisons can reveal how closely two species are related.

Performance task
Research Presentation explanation:

● Scales
Since the heat may worsen, there is a chance that the land may not be our primary
source of need, so we may need to change it to the waters, which could lead them
developing scales that can help and protect when submerging in the waters.

● Darker Skin
Due to heat and temperature increasing, the skin needs to adapt. In this case brown or
darker skin have more melanin which can protect humans frim the heat of the sun.

● Thicker Skin
Also because of the increasing temperature, we need more protection from extreme
temperature changes

● Wider Ears
The hearing and sensitivity of humans will be heightened, and having wider ears would
allow hearing more, and be alert when there are dangers.
 ● Bigger Head/Bigger brain
Human will continue to strive for knowledge, intake more information. Because of that
they develop a larger brain which could help retain more information.

References:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/turner-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-
20360782#:~:text=Turner%20syndrome%2C%20a%20condition%20that,to%20develop%20and
%20heart%20defects.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/immunology-and-microbiology/point-mutation#:~:text=A
%20point%20mutation%20can%20result,sequence%20but%20alters%20some%20aspect
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17818-down-syndrome
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/her/evolution-and-natural-selection/a/lines-of-
evidence-for-evolution