Part II: Genomics and Its Impact on Science and Society
Preliminary question:
Every person has two (2) biological parents (they may not have been married), and four (4)
grandparents. Therefore, one has eight (8) great-grandparents, and sixteen (16) second great-
grandparents. How many third, fourth, and fifth great-grandparents do you have?
This simple example shows that the number of your ancestors increases rapidly. Indeed, you
should have more than one million 18th great-grandparents! Find out the exact number.
You might think that everyone is your relative, say your 29th cousin. But how close are you? In the influential book
The Selfish Gene,Richard Dawkins defined close relatives as two individuals who have a greater than average chance of sharing genes. He described a way to determine ârelatednessâ with some math.
Read the attached excerpt from Dawkins.
Exercise
1.
Calculate the relatedness between you and your nephew.
2.
Calculate the relatedness between you and your second cousin.
3.
Calculate the relatedness between you and your half uncle.
Reflection
Imagine a situation in which your third cousin asks to borrow money from you, claiming âblood is thicker than water.â
Write a concise essay to decline his or her request, based on the math you have learned.
Part II: Genomics and Its Impact on Science and Society
Preliminary question:
Every person has two (2) biological parents (they may not have been married), and four (4)
grandparents. Therefore, one has eight (8) great-grandparents, and sixteen (16) second great-
grandparents. How many third, fourth, and fifth great-grandparents do you have?
This simple example shows that the number of your ancestors increases rapidly. Indeed, you
should have more than one million 18th great-grandparents! Find out the exact number.
You might think that everyone is your relative, say your 29th cousin. But how close are you? In the influential book
The Selfish Gene,Richard Dawkins defined close relatives as two individuals who have a greater than average chance of sharing genes. He described a way to determine ârelatednessâ with some math.
Read the attached excerpt from Dawkins.
Exercise
1.
Calculate the relatedness between you and your nephew.
2.
Calculate the relatedness between you and your second cousin.
3.
Calculate the relatedness between you and your half uncle.
Reflection
Imagine a situation in which your third cousin asks to borrow money from you, claiming âblood is thicker than water.â
Write a concise essay to decline his or her request, based on the math you have learned.
