biology

• Introduction to Biology • Dr. Urbi Ghosh • Total points for paper 100 points

GENETIC GENEALOGY

“Inside the Genetic Genealogy being used to solve crimes.”

Learning Objectives • Explore what technology and techniques are used by criminal justice investigators

to crack cold cases with DNA technology. • Understand the strengths and limitations of the technology • Be able to think critically about the technology.

Introduction

• Ancestory.com and 23andme.com are mainstream in American life and the use of technology is very important for cold cases. So, in this activity we will learn more about the applications, strengths, and limitations of this DNA technology.

• In recent years, advances in genetics and genomics have brought new dimensions to genetic testing. Genetic genealogy is the use of DNA testing in combination with traditional genealogical and historical records. Genetic genealogy involves the use of genealogical DNA testing together with documentary evidence to infer the relationship between individuals.

Instructions • View each of the three videos listed below and answer the following questions. Be

sure to turn the sound on your computer on so you can hear the narration. I recommend opening each video in a separate browser tab and leaving them open so you may easily go back and forth among them throughout the assignment. You may need to watch them multiple times to answer the questions.

• Video #1

REFLECTION PAPER: ACTIVITIES FOR ENGAGING STUDENTS IN BIOLOGY

USING VIDEO

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Watch: Genetic Genealogy what is it? https://youtu.be/IIWlatQt4KE

Video #2

Introduction to Genetic Genealogy: https://youtu.be/ovqkr2TFFuc

Video #3

CeCe Moore, Expert: Genetic Genealogist - Tales from the Genome: https://youtu.be/PwmU6XVYn3A

(about 15-17 minutes into the video CeCe spells out exactly how she does it...and apparently she is the best in the field of genetic genealogy)

Background Reading Article 1:

Scientific Paper: "Inferring genetic ancestry: opportunities, challenges, and implications."

From: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20466090

Activity Complete this assignment by typing the answers into this document or another word document (Google docs) on your computer and printing it out to turn in before lab begins.

Write a one page under 500-word reflective essay on the topic. The essay should be three paragraphs long and have proper grammar, sentence and paragraph structure. All citations should be in either APA or MLA style.

Research the topic online and use a minimum of 3 scientific outside sources.

Answer the following questions (at least 2-3 of them) in your reflective paper:

· What do we mean by ancestry?

· How exactly is ancestry measured?

· Do you think that genetic genealogy is an effective tool to help law enforcement crack cold cases?

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· What are the advantages and limitations of genetic genealogy for law enforcement?

· What are possible limitations of using genetic genealogy?

· How far back can such ancestry be defined and by which genetic tools?

Evaluation Your paper will be evaluated by the following criteria:

Item NEEDED Research/Sources 15 points

Credibility (academic/nonacademic) 5 References (outside secondary sources) 10

Discipline-specific Knowledge/Content 50 points Explanation (define, describe, restate) 15 Analysis (strengths and weaknesses of technology) 25 Critique ( your own opinion and why) 10

Composition Clarity (5 points) Sentence and paragraph structure, grammar, punctuation and appropriate length. (20 points)

25 points

NO LATE ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED.