bio 100

1.  There are three differences between the accomplishments of mitosis and the accomplishments of meiosis.  One of these differences is fairly trivial: the other two are very important.  What these three differences?  For each of the differences, make sure that you clearly explain what it is that mitosis does and what it is that meiosis does.

2.  You know the meaning of the work "diploid" Bananas are triploid.  What do you suppose that means?  Wheat is a heaploid.  What does that mean?

3.  This question explores the meaning of dominance. Please answer both parts.  It is often said that certain traits "skip generations".  What kind of trait might do this?  Can brown eyes skip generations?  What about blue eyes?  Why.  

4.  Human beings can suffer from a large variety of genetic ailments.  While many of these are relatively benign - or at least, mild enough that the sufferers can live with them for a lifetime - some are not.  Some are always lethal.  One lethal genetic disorder it Tay Sach disease.  This Disease is always fatal:  sufferers die before the age of five, and thus never reproduce.  Tay Sach disease is caused by an autosomal recessive allele.  Why doesn't a disease like Tay Sachs simply disappear from the species, since it is completely selected against (i.e. no sufferer ever has children)?