Variation Lesson Two

why are twins used in variation studies?

Obesity StudiesWhen the research linking the variant of the FTO gene to obesity was released, newspaper headlines such as ‘Obesity Gene Discovered’ appeared in the media with reports claiming that people can’t fit into their jeans because of their genes...

Do such reports give a true reflection of the research?

Does the so-called obesity gene cause obesity?

Why do some researchers fear that reports of an ‘obesity gene’ could increase the incidence of obesity?

Dog Whelk Investigation

A species commonly used in variation studies is Nucella Lapillis, the dogwhelk. They are large marine molluscs that live on rocky shores. They are mainly predators and feed on barnacles and mussels. Their enemies include shore crabs which crack open the shell with their strong claws.

The easiest variation to study is related to the shell that surrounds it. Shell variations include size, shape, colour, size of aperture and banding

Hand span investigation