Understanding Human Genetic Variation
Genetics is the scientific study of inherited variation. Human genetics, then, is the scientific study of inherited human variation.
We study genetic material due to following reasons;
1. One reason is simply an interest in better understanding ourselves. we learn about human genetic variation and its sources and transmission inevitably contributes to our understanding of genetics in general, just as the study of variation in other species informs our understanding of our own.
2. A second reason for studying human genetics is its practical value for human welfare. …show more content…
A third reason for studying human genetics is that it gives us a powerful tool for understanding and describing human evolution. At one time, data from physical anthropology (including information about skin color, body build, and facial traits) were the only source of information available to scholars interested in tracing human evolutionary history.
4. Today, however, researchers have a wealth of genetic data, including molecular data
Why Scientists Study Human Genetic Variation?
• Two research approaches were historically important in helping investigators understand the biological basis of heredity. The first of these approaches, transmission genetics, involved crossing organisms and studying the offsprings' traits to develop hypotheses about the mechanisms of inheritance.
• The second approach involved using cytologic techniques to study the machinery and processes of cellular reproduction. This approach laid a solid foundation for the more conceptual understanding of inheritance that developed as a result of transmission genetics
The central advantage that today's molecular techniques offer is that they allow researchers to study DNA