The Evolution-Creationism Debate
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This 5 page paper examines both points of view and concludes that these are not necessarily competing theories and may even complement each other. The debate is discussed and each concept is defined and explored. Bibliography lists 8 sources.
Filename: SA512evo.rtf

The Extinction Vortex in Regard to Bees
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This 8 page paper discusses the “extinction vortex” with regard to what it is and how it is used. It also examines such things as the sex ratio, population size and lethal recessive allele with regard to species survival. Finally, it discusses the apparent die-off of bees in the U.S. and considers reasons for it. Bibliography lists 9 sources.
Filename: HVExtVor.rtf

The Future of Human Cloning.
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(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 is to project what might happen, some of those projections will be examined under a humorous light. Generally speaking we learn best when we can laugh. Other projections are as assigned. Bibliography lists 6 sources.
Filename: BBclone.doc

The Future of Plant Breeding
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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.
Filename: SA023Bio.rtf

The Future of Stem Cell Research
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An 11 page overview of the current state of stem cell research and its potential for future benefit. Lamenting the current governmental restrictions on embryonic stem cell research, this paper emphasizes the myriad of possibilities that stem cell research holds in terms of improving human life. Bibliography lists 12 sources.
Filename: PPstemC7.rtf

The Genetic Pathway and Developmental Evolution
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A 7 page discussion of genetic pathways, specifically the direction of the orderly expression of specific gene subsets, a process which is controlled by tissue-specific transcription factors. Specific DNA target sequences are bound by these transcription factors and, in turn, interact with one another on either a cooperative basis or an antagonistic basis to control expression of the gene subsets. This interaction is aided as well by extracellular signaling molecules which both control and are controlled by the transcription factors. Ties these basic observations together with a review of research on species as diverse as Drosophila melanogaster and zebrafish. An additional 2 pages are appended on this paper which identify several references which could be applicable in an expanded review of this subject. Bibliography lists 13 sources.
Filename: PPgenePt.wps

The Great Human Diasporas: Implications of the Work of Luigi Luca Cavilli-Sforza for Theories of Cultural Evolution
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A 5 page discussion of the theories presented in the book The Great Human Diasporas : The History of Diversity and Evolution. Recognizes author Cavilli-Sforza as a renown expert in human genetic diversity. Notes Cavilli-Sforza adds significant contributions to the predominant explanations of cultural evolution. His work in linguistics, for example, has been applied to reconstructing ancient routes of human migration. Additional work in genetics complement such observations to allow Cavilli-Sforza to provide considerable insight to the manner in which culture has evolved alongside the biological aspects of human life. No additional sources are listed.
Filename: PPcltEvo.wps

The Human Cloning Debate
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This 4 page paper looks at two articles on human cloning. Both sides of the issue are explored but the paper ultimately supports cloning. Bibliography lists 2 sources.
Filename: SA616clo.rtf

The Human Genome Project:
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This 16 page paper discusses the Human Genome Project in terms of its history, its purpose and its current status. This report includes graphs and charts which highlight the material covered in this paper. Bibliography lists 3 sources.
Filename: GSGenome.rtf

The Impacts of Mendelian Genetics
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A 4 page contention that the result of Gregor Mendel's research has not only changed the way people perceive the world, but also the way people live in it. Carefully quantifying his bservations, Mendel was able to come to produce a set of laws that allow us to predict the genetic outcome of specific genetic crosses. Other geneticists have expanded this knowledge and made it an integral component of many aspects of our lives. Bibliography lists 3 sources.
Filename: PPmendel.rtf

The Importance of Nature Verses Nurture in Shaping Behavior and Personality
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A 9 page examination of the age old question of whether it is our environment or our genes that shape our personality and behavior. The author examines both sides of this argument to conclude that a number of factors enter into the question of whether a parent or other factors of a child’s environment or genetics are responsible for that child’s destiny. Bibliography lists 15 sources.
Filename: PPbioDt2.rtf

The Importance of Phylogenetic Relationships in Evolutionary Biology
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A 5 page contention that phylogenetic relationships are a critical component of evolutionary biology. Indeed, it is upon our knowledge of phylogeny which we base much of our theory of evolution. Even in “Origin of Species”, that infamous production of an earlier century which many consider synonymous with the concept of evolution, Darwin relies heavily on his knowledge of phylogeny to assess the characteristics of plants and animals which he observed on his scientific voyage on the “Beagle”. Contends that this is only one example, of the many interrelationships of phylogeny and evolutionary theory which have occurred over time. It, along with the somewhat antiquated concept of ontogeny recapitulating phylogeny, however, illustrates the importance of phylogeny to evolutionary theory. Bibliography lists 3 sources.
Filename: PPphylog.wps

The Lazarus Effect and the ‘Feathers’ of the Longisquama
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This 3 page paper is written in two parts, answering several questions; which of the three commonly accepted explanations is most likely to explain the Lazarus effect, what value or information the Lazarus effect provides when studying the fossil record and what is meant by refugia. The second part of the paper looks at the appendages of Longisquama considers if these are mostly likely to be feathers or scales, the role they may have had and whether it was likely to be the ancestor of bird life.The bibliography cites 7 sources.
Filename: TElazaru.rtf

The Naked Ape: A Review of the Book by Desmond Morris
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A 6 page overview of the contentions presented in this 1967 book. Noting the controversy surrounding the book and its occasional deviation from contemporary evolutionary thought, the author of this paper asserts that Morris for the most part echoes contemporary evolutionary thought. Bibliography lists 5 sources.
Filename: PPnakedA.rtf

The Neanderthal Controversy
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This 8 page paper provides an overview of the controversies over the origins of Homo sapien, and the question of whether modern man drove out the Neanderthals or if they interbred. This paper integrate a view of the existing arguments. Bibliography lists 7 sources.
Filename: MHNeande.rtf