If you think of the genome as a blueprint, you might expect a big, complicated animal like yourself to have more genes than a little mouse, with fewer cells and a less sophisticated brain. But that isn't the way genes work. Even the recipe or instruction-book model can be misleading unless it is properly understood. … Continue reading The genome, a sort of dictionary
genetic-Q
Colour genes
Opsins (protein molecules which serve as visual pigments sitting in the cones and rods) are made under the influence of genes. DNA differences result in opsins that are sensitive to different colours. Since all genes are present in all cells, the difference between a red cone and a blue cone is not which genes they … Continue reading Colour genes
Innate programming of up and down in chicks
Newly hatched baby chicks peck at photographs of simulated grains, and strongly prefer them if lit as if from above. Turn the photograph over and they shun it. This seems to show that baby chicks 'know' that light in their world normally comes from above. But since they have only just hatched out of the … Continue reading Innate programming of up and down in chicks