The variation that I found most interesting is the hybridization of species. As young scientists, most of what we learn relates to the fact that a species is its own, and cannot cross breed with other species. Because of this, when I think of hybrid species, I tend to think of hybrids as fictional creatures shown on Vampire Diaries or Teen Wolf. However, hybrid species are in fact real and are nothing like the powerful creatures we see on shows. Hybridization of a species occurs when two different species mate to form a completely new species, who is reproductively isolation from those two parent species. An example of this are the Heliconius butterflies. Researchers believe there are at least 39 known species of Heliconius species, meaning they are able to interbreed to create brand new species. Shown above are a few different species of the same Heliconius genus of butterflies. As you can tell, they are all similar in wing shape, but their patterns are quite different.
I found the first set of lectures very interesting. I enjoyed how I was able to learn something new to get my mind back in the swing of things without having to fully jump into learning the course material right away. Specifically, what I learned was the science behind hand-washing. It never occurred to me that there was such a detrimental effect that took place before Dr. Semmelweis finally realized and hypothesized that having dirty hands was the root of such a high maternal death rate. After learning about this, it made me wonder who else in history had similar realizations and normalized behaviors we do habitually today, such as brushing our teeth. Another part of the lectures I found interesting, and surprisingly related to, were the different mindsets we have in relation to learning. Throughout high school I always considered myself to be more of a “math person” compared to any other subject. With wanting to go to dental hygiene...
Phenotypic plasticity is the ability of an organism to alter its phenotype in response to the environment without altering its genotype. In "The Genetic Basis of Adaptation following Plastic Changes in Coloration in a Novel Environment," a study was done on lizards that live on lava rocks. When on these lava rocks, the lizards expressed a dark color that was similar to that of the lava rock. However, researchers found that when taken off the lava rocks and put into sand, the lizard's expressed a lighter color in response to the change of substrate. Additionally, the researchers compared the lava rock lizards to lizards not living on the lava rocks. They found that both groups of lizards expressed dark phenotypes when on the rocks. However, the lizards that already lived on those rocks had a darker phenotype than those who did not. When placed on the sand, researchers found that both groups of lizards expressed the same color of lightness. Phenotypic plasticity is what ...
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