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Related Concept Videos

Genetic Variation01:25

Genetic Variation

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Genetic variation is the diversity in DNA sequences found among individuals of the same species. This diversity is crucial for a species' survival because it helps organisms adapt to environmental changes. Genetic variation begins with fertilization, where an egg and sperm cell merge. Each of these cells carries 23 chromosomes, up to 46 in the fertilized egg. Chromosomes are long DNA strands that contain genes, the basic units of heredity.
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Mutation, Gene Flow, and Genetic Drift01:09

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In a population that is not at Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, the frequency of alleles changes over time. Therefore, any deviations from the five conditions of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium can alter the genetic variation of a given population. Conditions that change the genetic variability of a population include mutations, natural selection, non-random mating, gene flow, and genetic drift (small population size).
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Speciation is the evolutionary process resulting in the formation of new, distinct species—groups of reproductively isolated populations.
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Natural selection—probably the most well-known evolutionary mechanism—increases the prevalence of traits that enhance survival and reproduction. However, evolution does not merely propagate favorable traits, nor does it always benefit populations.
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Gene flow is the transfer of genes among populations, resulting from either the dispersal of gametes or from the migration of individuals.
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Genome comparison is one of the excellent ways to interpret the evolutionary relationships between organisms. The basic principle of genome comparison is that if two species share a common feature, it is likely encoded by the DNA sequence conserved between both species. The advent of genome sequencing technologies in the late 20th century enabled scientists to understand the concept of conservation of domains between species and helped them to deduce evolutionary relationships across diverse...
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Heuristic Mining of Hierarchical Genotypes and Accessory Genome Loci in Bacterial Populations
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Imposing genetic diversity.

Robert Sparrow1

  • 1a Monash University.

The American Journal of Bioethics : AJOB
|June 2, 2015
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Genetic diversity is valuable, but prioritizing it over individual well-being in prenatal testing and PGD raises ethical concerns. The pursuit of genetic perfection may overlook the societal benefits of human variation.

Keywords:
PGDdisabilitydiversityethicshuman enhancementprenatal testing

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Area of Science:

  • Bioethics
  • Genetics
  • Disability Studies

Background:

  • Debates on prenatal testing and PGD often involve the idea that a world without genetic variation lacks value.
  • The disability critique of prenatal testing emphasizes the importance of human genetic diversity.
  • Bioethicists acknowledge the societal benefits of genetic diversity, even those opposing selection against disability.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To critically examine the ethical implications of valuing human genetic diversity.
  • To analyze the problematic nature of prioritizing genetic diversity over individual well-being.
  • To explore the ethical trade-offs in genetic selection technologies.

Main Methods:

  • Development of thought experiments to explore increasing genetic diversity from a lower baseline.
  • Ethical analysis of the value of human genetic variation.
  • Examination of the potential negative consequences of genetic selection.

Main Results:

  • The intuition that genetic diversity is an important societal good is more complex than commonly recognized.
  • Prioritizing genetic diversity can lead to ethically problematic outcomes, particularly when individual well-being is compromised.
  • Thought experiments reveal potential conflicts between societal genetic goals and individual welfare.

Conclusions:

  • The ethical justification for pursuing genetic diversity through prenatal testing and PGD requires careful consideration of individual well-being.
  • A critical re-evaluation of the value placed on human genetic variation is necessary in bioethical discourse.
  • Ethical frameworks must balance the pursuit of societal genetic benefits with the protection of individual rights and welfare.