Gene Frequencies and the Hardy Weinberg Principle
Abstract The purpose of this experiment was to determine the correlation between the ability to taste the bitterness of phenylthiocarbamide, an organic compound used in genetics, and the ability and response of the tasting sodium benzoate paper, a food preservative. It is claimed that there is a direct relationship between the genes that control the tasting abilities of these two substances, primarily that if you had the ability to taste PTC, you would have a specific taste response for sodium benzoate, as well. After the experiment results were analyzed, it was determined that there is no direct correlation between the ability to taste the substances. Non-tasters and tasters of phenylthiocarbamide had nearly the same reaction to sodium benzoate, disproving the claim that non-tasters will not experience a bitter response to sodium benzoate. It was also determined that the Hardy-Weinberg Principle results are inaccurate due the the test strips in the experiment being of a low PTC concentration, and as many tasters of PTC can actually only respond to high levels of concentration, the recorded observations would be skewed.
Introduction The purpose of this experiment was to determine if there is a testable relationship between the ability to taste phenylthiocarbamide and sodium benzoate. Phenylthiocarbamide, or PTC, is an organic compound useful for genetic experiment; sodium benzoate is commonly used as a food preservative. The ability to taste PTC and recognize it as having a bitter taste is a representation of the dominant gene - non-tasting is an example of the recessive. However, PTC is not always a one-way trait. Some tasters can only identify PTC at high-concentration levels, so they could be marked as a non-taster at a lower level of PTC concentration (CarolinaTM Taste Papers). This is what makes the phenylthiocarbamide gene so interesting: you can not identify one’s phenotype until they are specifically tested for the gene (Wooding, 2006). When
Introduction The purpose of this experiment was to determine if there is a testable relationship between the ability to taste phenylthiocarbamide and sodium benzoate. Phenylthiocarbamide, or PTC, is an organic compound useful for genetic experiment; sodium benzoate is commonly used as a food preservative. The ability to taste PTC and recognize it as having a bitter taste is a representation of the dominant gene - non-tasting is an example of the recessive. However, PTC is not always a one-way trait. Some tasters can only identify PTC at high-concentration levels, so they could be marked as a non-taster at a lower level of PTC concentration (CarolinaTM Taste Papers). This is what makes the phenylthiocarbamide gene so interesting: you can not identify one’s phenotype until they are specifically tested for the gene (Wooding, 2006). When
References: Allaire, Ruth A. "Genetic Determination of Selected Human Characteristics." NVCC.edu. Northern Virginia Community College, 1 Jan. 2006. Web. 12 Apr. 2012. . "Carolina Taste Papers." Print. Rpt. in Carolina Taste Papers. Burlington: Carolina Biological Supply, 2009. Print. General Books LLC. Statistical Genetics: Population Genetics, Hardy-Weinberg Principle, Quantitative Trait Locus, Substitution Model, Coalescent Theory . United States of America: General Books LLC, 2010. Print. Wooding, Stephen . "Phenylthiocarbamide: A 75-Year Adventure in Genetics and Natural Selection." Genetic Society of America. n.p., Apr. 2006. Web. 12 Apr. 2012. .