Essays and Research Papers on Genetics & Paleontology

A 14 page paper that provides an overview of recent information on the use of genetic engineering for improving the quality of fruit crops, especially tomatoes. Bibliography lists 10 sources.

A 5 page outline of current paleontological thought regarding the evolutionary path of birds and the question of whether or not they descended from dinosaurs. Bibliography lists four sources.

A 7 page paper that discusses these changes in light of the disappearance of the dinosaur. The writer suggests that although this is still a mystery (unknowable fact), the geographic changes (tectonic plate theory, sea-floor theory) and climate changes from warm, moist climate to boreal at the end of the era are believed to ...

A 6 page review of dinosaur extinction. Ties together the concepts of natural selection, fitness, neocatastrophism, and the Gaia hypothesis to contend that dinosaurs dies out gradually as the result of one or more environmental events such as sea level regression, climatic change, volcanism, and/or asteroid impact. Bibliography lists 6 sources, 3 of ...

A 5 page review of the concepts identified in Richard Dawkins' book The Selfish Gene. Emphasizes the role of the human body as a machine designed exclusively for the perpetuation of the genes. No sources are listed.

This 7 page paper provides an overview of the issues related to genetically modified plants in regards to environmental and food safety. This paper assesses the threat of modified plants to the environments, possible concerns regarding the impact of modified plants to other species and existing natural ecosystems, and the safety of modified plants for the consumer. ...

This 7 page paper provides an overview of the basic research conducted by Jane Goodall, who studied chimpanzee populations and recognized that chimpanzee socialization followed a definitive course of development much like human dynamics hierarchies. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A 5 page paper that explains the process of nuclear transfer, or non-transgenic cloning, and how this process is currently being used on animal subjects. Also discussed are the controversy that surrounds this issue and the questions this procedure presents in the areas of humanity, ethics, and necessity. Arguments presented by both advocates ...

An 11 page comparison of the simplicity of the animal species preserved in the Burgess Shale Deposit and the complex evolutionary path recorded in the fossil record for modern-day birds. Discusses the controversy and debate surrounding the question of the speculated origin of birds from dinosaurs. Discusses the current findings in the field and ...

A 5 page paper that explores the similarities and relations between the human processes of memory and those of the animal species, primarily the Chimpanzee. Arguments defending both the similarities and the differences in the behavioral habits of the Chimpanzee as compared to those of the human species are presented, as well as recent ...

A 5 page paper which discusses the evolution of the human brain. Not a great deal has been clearly established in terms of the evolution of the human brain. There are many theories and many different approaches, some of which are addressed herein. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 5 page discussion of the societal retributions of human cloning. Illuminates the potentially positive impacts of cloning but weighs them against the more negative aspects such as the ethics of "making" children, the potential of the procedure only being within reach of the wealthy, and the problem of unauthorized use of the genetic ...

A 9 page discussion of the benefits of bioengineering, the genetic alteration of food species. Presents the contention that genetically altered food species are the key to feeding the world's ever increasing population on the ever decreasing agricultural areas. Counters objections to bioengineering and concludes that it is the people themselves who should decide ...

5 pages in length. The volatile controversy concerning cloning is not one that is easily solved. Interestingly enough, no matter whether one is for or against the issue, almost everyone questioned has a strong stance in his or her opinion. There are very few neutral feelings regarding the topic of cloning. This paper takes the view ...

5 pages in length. This paper is a causal analysis for a paper concerning human genome patenting. In it, the controversy is clearly stated along with a strong thesis regarding what the most significant causes of the problem are. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

5 pages in length. An excellent discussion on the use of tissue culture to enhance genetics. This innovative new science of plant breeding, defined as cultivar development based on genetically-enhanced breeding materials and assisted by deep understanding of genetic processes at the molecular level, has a vital role to play in tomorrow's agriculture, especially in tomorrow's new crop agriculture. ...

This 6 page paper assumes that plant breeding progress will depend upon the efficient use of genetic resources. Genetic engineering is discussed and the future of plant breeding is looked at from both a practical and legal perspective. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

This 6 page paper provides significant information in respect to the use of genetic markers in plant breeding. Consumer issues pertinent to the pitfalls of bioengineering are addressed. Bibliography lists 7 sources.

A 15 page overview of the application of mitochondrial DNA research to tracing the relative ages and interrelationships of the contemporary races of human beings. Distinguishes between mitochondrial and nuclear DNA. Suggests that while mitochondrial DNA is particularly suited to this type of investigation it should be remembered that it is a newly-emerged ...

A 10 page discussion of the first eight chapters of Charles Darwin's "Origin of the Species". Presents the thesis that "Origin of the Species" itself is a product of evolutionary progression of thought. The first two-thirds of the book, Chapters 1 through 4, introduce Darwin's most basic evolutionary thoughts while the subsequent chapters 5 ...

A 10 page discussion of the phylogeny of the phylum Mollusca. Provides an overview of the major classes of Mollusca including Amphineura, Monoplacophora, Gastropoda, Pelecypoda, Scaphopoda, and Cephalopoda. Outlines common morphological features known as synomorphies and discusses the variations between species. Bibliography lists 10 sources.

(7 pp) The idea of human cloning either sounds like something out of a bad science fiction movie, is a boon to medical science or a travesty to morality. As in the case of most exaggerations, there is a shred of truth in all of them. Although our proposed challenge ...

(5 pp) In this paper we will be examining a short piece of text (Chauvet Cave: The Discovery of the World's Oldest Paintings - 1996) by Stephen Gould which involves both science and technology, yet we will examine this work from a rhetorical perspective, first as a singularity, then in light of a broader context. ...

A 5 page paper discussing two possible actions of polycomb group (PcG) genes in repressing homeotic gene expression in Drosophila. One is that PcG binds to DNA through PcG response elements; the other is the dMi-2 and Hb combine to recruit PcG to DNA, though it may also be possible that Hb recruits dMi-2 directly to DNA. ...

This 5 page paper considers the arguments regarding the origins of Homo sapien, including the population replacement model, the multiregional replacement model and the genetic replacement model. These three theories are assessed, with a significant concentration placed on the validity of the population replacement model, also known as the Out of Africa model . ...