Tuesday, April 5, 2011

GATTACA Review :)




1. The following terms were used in the movie. How do they relate to the words we use: degenerate and invalid?
         De-gene-erate: Thought less of because of background.
         In-valid: Not acceptable.
         Borrowed Ladder: 

2. Why do you think Vincent left his family, tearing his picture out of the family photo, after winning the swimming race against his brother?

-I think that Vincent found strength in himself and realized his family never had any in him. He didn't want to be part of a family that never really accepted him and cherished him like his brother even though he proved (by swimming) that he could be just as good as him.

3. Describe the relationship between Vincent and Anton.

-Vincent and Anton we're always competing against each other even though Anton was genetically born with far greater DNA. Vincent was always trying to prove that he could "keep up" with Anton by playing chicken by swimming. 

4. When Jerome Morrow said to Vincent/Jerome, “They’re not looking for you. When they look at you, they only see me,” what did he mean? Can you find any parallels to this type of situation in real life?

-He was literally saying they're looking at him because he had taken his identity. They didn't want someone like Vincent to work for them because of his genetic background, but Jerome was perfect!

-You could relate this in real life as to when like NFL people are drafted. They base people on their skills and strengths.

5. Choose your favorite character from the film. Explain why you choose that person. Would you want to be that person? Why? Why not?

-My favorite person was probably Jerome. He was funny and witty, although his life wasn't so much.

- I wouldn't want to be that person based on he couldn't walk, or really have a life since Vincent took it, but I would like to have a funny friend like him around :)

6. At the end of the film, you are told that the Doctor knew about Vincent all along. Why did the Doctor go along with the fraud? What would you have done if you were the Doctor?

-I think that the doctor went along with it because he didn't discriminate Vincent because of his background. He saw that he had proved that he could be just as good as anyone when it came to the job.

-If I was the doctor I would of done the same thing.

7. The technology to do what was done in the movie is definitely possible within the next fifty years. Do you think that Vincent’s world could eventually happen in America? Why?

-Yes, it is always possible for something for this to happen when the technology is available. It would give people new opportunities, like picking your baby, and stuff like that so I think people would be open to the idea of it. 

8. What do you think is wrong with the society portrayed in "GATTACA"? What is right?

-It was wrong for society to judge and determine people's jobs based on their genetic background. Society is nothing but disgust when it discriminates. 

Sadly, it was not right, but if something like that was to ever happen, it'd most likely be accurate. 
 
9. What were the screenwriters trying to tell us through the episode of the 12-fingered pianist? Is anything wrong with engineering children to have 12 fingers if, as a result, they will be able to make extraordinarily beautiful music?

-They were trying to show us that although something as beautiful as music could be created from engineering children to have 12 fingers, it wouldn't be ultimately right to genetically transform the human structure for something so petty. Sure, 12 fingers would help, but an alternation really be necessary just for perfection? Some things are better off as is, and more beautiful natural.  

10. You and your spouse are having a child and are at the Genetic Clinic pictured in the movie. What characteristics would you want for your child and what would you ask to be excluded? Why would you make those choices?

-If I had to chose I'd of course want my child to be as healthy as possible, but besides that I don't really know what I would choose. I'd just worry about the kid's health at the moment and any other benefits he or she could have.

-I'd make those decions because bases on how society would be, it'd be best for me kid if I wanted him or her to have a bright future.
 
11. Picture yourself as either Vincent, Jerome, or Anton. Would you have acted the same or done things differently if you were in the same world as them?

-No, society made them the way they are and I most likely would of acted the same as all of them.

12. How does the society in GATTACA resemble the type of society America was during the height of the eugenics movement?

I don't really know what the eugenics movement went, so I'm not really sure :)

Monday, April 4, 2011

DNA Sequencing Activity

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For Biology we did a DNA Sequencing Activity. We sequenced three different patient's DNA (Norm, Abby, Bob and Carol) in order to determine if they had any diseases. Above were my results after "cracking the code" as you might say. It displays each patient's DNA sequence as well as the proteins currently located in their bodies.


I used a Condon Usage Table to figure out how the DNA structure went from that to proteins. There were simple steps to take. For example:


To find "AUG":


  1. The first base is A. Find A in the first column. Put your figure on it.
  2. The second base is U. Find U in the center columns. Move your finger on this group.
  3. The third base is G. Look at the last letters. Look for a G at the end.
Codon Usage Table
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Here were my results after everything:






From the graph you can see that Abby had only one base change or Point Mutation. She does not have the disease because her percentile is very high and it very close to the "Norm" bases. Like Abby, Bob has the same percentage. He has one point of mutation but his is in a different base. So, instead of the potion being LYS it is STOP. This is called Truncation Mutation. Obviously Bob does not have a disease because his bases are very similar to the "Norm" bases as well.

Now, unlike Abby and Bob, Carol has more than half of her bases different from everybody. On the graph it shows that she is a 78%. She has to be the only diseased because she is the only one with a different sequence then the rest of the group! :)

All and all like I said it was a pretty simple activity, but I still learned how to do something off it. I found out that Norm and Bob have the DNA and protein sequence of the normal control, while Abby and Carol did not. All I really had to do was see if any matched Norm's for normal control because Norm's sequence was already listed as normal control. Like I said, this was a simple activity, but i still learned something :)