Documentary Analysis: Cracking Your Genetic Code

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“The highest rated science program on TV called NOVA made a documentary surrounding genomic testing called, Cracking Your Genetic Code (NOVA, 2008).” This documentary demonstrated and described different techniques of what is genetic testing, how genetic testing is performed, and all the individuals whom benefit from these special DNA techniques. What is DNA? “DNA is material that governs inheritance of eye color, hair color and many other human and animal traits (Riley, 2005).” DNA is developed from the pairing of genes from a female and male gametes (Health & Prenancy, 2012). These gametes fuse together during mitosis and meiosis, getting 23 chromosomes from each parent, in order, to develop an embryo. In this embryo is DNA. DNA is made of 4 different amino acids, in which, are the building blocks for DNA and they are A, T, G, & C. These building blocks have base pairing in a series of sequences and this sequence is what makes up genes. Genes are codes that can read in this sequence to determine what kind of traits offspring is going to have. Through genes DNA testing can be perform to find mistakes. In this documentary, many different genetic testing were performed and some may agree that this can be very controversy because some people will rather not know certain things unless there are signs or symptoms. However, others find this DNA testing as an advantage and knowing this information can prepare them for the “what if” factor. In my research, I will be discussing what genetic testing is, what it provides, what the benefits are, the risks, and what companies provide genomic testing.
Genetic testing can be best described as obtaining a sample of blood or tissue from a patient and running this DNA sample in the laboratory to...

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...etics Home Reference, (2014).What is genetic testing? Retrieved April 30, 2014 from http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/handbook/testing/genetictesting
Knome, (2014). About Us Retrieved April 30, 2014 from http://www.knome.com/about/
Mckusick, V. Online Mendelian 272800, (2013) Tay-Sach’s Disease. Retrieved April 30, 2014 from http://omim.org/entry/272800
NOVA, Cracking Your Genetic Code, Retrieved April 30, 2014 from http://www.thirteen.org/programs/nova/cracking-your-genetic-code/
NOVA, (2008). Retrieved April 29, 2014, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/about/
Riley, D. (2005). Scientific Testimony, DNA Testing: An Introduction for Non-Scientists an Illustrated Explanation, Retrieved April 30, 2014 from http://www.scientific.org/tutorials/articles/riley/riley.html
WebMD, (2012). Health & Pregnancy, Retrieved April 30, 2014 from http://www.webmd.com/baby/genetic-test

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