Survey of Human Genetics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Survey of Human Genetics - Research Paper Example For numerous reasons the two copies of the same gene are not always exactly identical. There are often times two or more alternative forms for any particular gene. Genes that code for analogous proteins but have slightly different nucleotide sequences are called alleles (Alleles, 2009). An organism may possess only two alleles for any particular gene, and these alleles may be the same or different. All the variations within the genomes of each species are expressed through the various combinations of alleles, and this gives rise to the patterns of allelic expression. The different possible combinations of alleles directly result in some of the variation in physical characteristics which we observe in different members of the same species. These ideas about genes and their influence on physical traits come from the work of Gregor Mendel who is known as the "father of genetics". Mendel was a priest and scientist who lived in Austria during the 1800's, he performed experiments with peas. He observed that one group of pea plants produced peas that were always yellow and smooth. Another set of pea plants only produced peas that were green and wrinkled. When Mendel mated the two groups of plants, he found that all of the offspring produced peas that were yellow and smooth.