Nature Vs Nurture Research Paper

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Honors 232, Biology in Society, Lecture 8 Questions 1. The development of cancer in people is often influenced by both “nature” and “nurture.” Some people are genetically predisposed for getting cancer. Cancer is the result of mutations in certain genes that disrupt a cell’s mechanism of controlling division. Thus, cancer is uncontrolled cell growth. There are some people who are born with more of these mutations than others. If the people born with more of these mutations randomly acquire more mutations, they are more likely to eventually get the allele that indicates cancer. However, a person’s environment can also influence the development of cancer. Unhealthy habits like being sedentary, smoking and drinking, and eating unhealthily may also leave people more likely to get cancer. Therefore, both genes and environment play roles in triggering cancer in people. 2.…show more content…
Monozygotic, or identical twins are very helpful in distinguishing between nature and nurture. Because monozygotic twins originate from one fertilized zygote that split into two, they share identical genetic information. Any difference in phenotypes between monozygotic twins would therefore most likely result from environmental factors. Dizygotic, or non-identical twins are useful controls in studies involving twins. While they only share about 50% of their genetic information, as they are no more related than any other siblings, they shared a womb. Therefore, they can show if the womb environment had any effect on phenotypic differences. Comparing monozygotic and dizygotic twins helps scientists disentangle the effects of genes and the environment in a controlled

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