Instructors Objectives: Teachers can use this simulation to introduce students to the following concepts:
- The cellular machinery assorts the pairs of chromosomes randomly and independently during meiosis.
- Rich genetic variation occurs as a result of the random and independent assortment of the chromosomes during meiosis.
- One of each pair of the independently assorted pairs of chromosomes ends up in sex cells.
- Virtually no two sex cells have the same genes within them.
- Sex cells combine with their two lotteries of genes to produce the potential of a completely unique human..... one who has never existed before, one who only exists now, and one who will never exist again...... a completely singular and unique individual event!
- The mother's gamete, with her set of 23 chromosomes (a random one from each pair that she possesses) meets with the father's gamete (a random one from each pair that he possesses) to produce a fertilized egg with a pair of each of the 23 chromosomes necessary to build a normal human phenotype. The mathematics of sex has to add up..... half of the pair from the mother + half of the pair from the father makes a pair of each chromosome for the next generation.
- Raising children is most successful when two excellent parents share in the nurturing of the child.
- Producing and successfully raising a happy child which reaches his/her potential, is one of the most important accomplishments in a human's life.