Dr. Stuart Reichler’s Spring 2008 Bio 311D
Bonus #2
due 21 March 2008 in class
This assignment is optional and can be worth a
maximum of 2 points
added to your final grade.
By the time this is due, we will have discussed the
connection between nature and
nurture in class, and almost everyday researchers are identifying more
genetic and environmental connections to human traits. As we
learn more about the factors that lead to various traits, we are
gaining the ability to make more accurate predictions about people's
traits based on information such as their genes and environment.
This type of information is already indirectly asked for by insurance companies and doctors when they ask
about the health of your ancestors, and/or where you are from.
You work for Congresswoman
Taxnspend. She has asked you to use your background in biology to
help propose a law regarding the use of genetic information. Your
proposed law should deal with some of these questions:
- What should we do with the
information that is being collected about people's genes,
environment, and various traits?
- Can
estimations about someone's risk for a disease
or certain behavior be accurately made? If not, will these types
of estimations ever be accurate? Do these estimations present a
danger?
- Can jobs, insurance, or school admittance be
denied based
on a prediction of future risk?
Include the approximate wording of your proposed
law, legalese is not
required, as well as the rationale behind your proposal. Since
Congresswoman Taxnspend will be asked questions about this proposed
law, give her at least one possible objection and the rebuttal to this
objection. This assignment
should not exceed four pages, and this is too short to solve all
of these
problems. Include the law, rationale, and a rebuttal, but your
law
may only cover one or a subset of
these questions. Please
include your name and what
time your class is at the top. A cover sheet is not
necessary.
Be certain
to cite any outside sources that you use. Using outside sources
is fine,
but
not citing those sources is plagiarism. This
assignment should not exceed four
pages. (A reference page does not count towards the page
limit.) This bonus will be graded on a
scale of 0-2 points that will be added to your final grade. This
is an optional bonus assignment. The
typed/word-processed paper should be printed and turned in during class
on March 21, 2008 in class.
I will subtract 0.5
points for each day late.
If you have any questions, please ask.