What we talk about when we talk about Genes.

Ellen Wilch, Ph.D., Genetics.

Thursdays, 2-4. February 7, 14, 21, 28. Olin 116, Albion College Campus

What do we talk about when we talk about genes? Advances in our understanding of human genetic variation is playing out in some interesting ways in the 21st century. We will review some basic concepts of genetics and move from there to explore a number of timely issues. For instance, direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic information services (e.g. 23andMe) provide interpretations related to health risks and ancestry/ethnicity, and also connect us to biological relatives. How do these services make their interpretations, and how can we better understand this information? Concepts of race, ancestry, and relatedness have a complicated history in our country; how have these discussions changed in the genomic era? Recently, the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services has proposed a legal definition of sex as “either male or female, unchangeable, and determined by the genitals that a person is born with” (NYTimes, October 21, 2018). We will explore the genetic basis of sex determination and see that this is a problematic proposal. And, we’ll check in on some current advances in medical genetics: in cancer genetics, prenatal genetic testing, and gene therapy.