

This politicization of divisions, or "political articulation," is neither the product of a single charismatic leader nor the machinations of state power, but is instead a constant call and response between parties and would-be constituents. Drawing on the contributors' expertise in Indonesia, India, the United States, Canada, Egypt, and Turkey, this volume demonstrates further that the success and failure of parties to politicize social differences has dramatic consequences for democratic change, economic development, and other large-scale transformations. But Building Blocs argues the reverse: that some political parties in fact shape divisions as they struggle to remake the social order. This can cause the gene to produce a different protein that may not function properly.Do political parties merely represent divisions in society? Until now, scholars and other observers have generally agreed that they do. Variants that are harmful can cause or increase our risk for certain diseases.įigure 3 below shows a DNA variant where a thymine is replaced with a cytosine. All of us have variants, but not all variants are harmful. Variants can be inherited from your parents, or they can happen spontaneously. We can also use genetic information to determine what inherited traits you may have.Ī difference from the expected sequence of a gene is called a variant or mutation. Genetic differences give our bodies information that result in traits that differ from person to person. Traits are your observable characteristics. We each have the same genes for eye color, but different allele combinations within those genes result in different eye colors. Alleles of a gene have differences in the precise DNA sequence.
BUILDING BLOCS CODE
Genes that code for proteins come in different versions called alleles. You have two copies of each gene, one on each chromosome in a pair. Many, but not all, genes make the proteins that our bodies need to function. Genes are small segments of DNA that have different functions. Figure 2: Wikimedia commons Genes: Coding for Proteins and Traits As you get older, your telomere caps get shorter and shorter and are less able to protect your chromosomes from getting damaged. Genes are located on the arms of the chromosomes.Ĭhromosomes have caps on each arm called telomeres, which help to protect the chromosomes.

One copy of each chromosome in a pair is inherited from each parent, which means that you inherit one copy of each gene from your mother and one copy from your father.Įach chromosome has a centromere at its center, which is a small structure that divides the chromosomes into two parts (see figure 2). Each has a specific set of genes that is the same from person to person. Sex chromosomes, identified as X or Y, determine whether a person is male or female.Įach chromosome can be identified by its size and shape under a microscope. Genes are packaged into tightly wound lengths of DNA called chromosomes.

The bases pair in a specific way across the two strands of the helix: adenine pairs with thymine, and cytosine pairs with guanine.

The four bases are adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), and thymine (T). Each strand of DNA is made of four types of molecules, also called bases, attached to a sugar-phosphate backbone. It is the remaining 1% that explains much of what makes you, you!ĭNA is arranged like two intertwined ropes, in a structure called a double helix (see figure 1). Even so, over 99% of DNA sequences are the same among all people. Your DNA is the most unique and identifying factor about you-it helps determine what color your eyes are, how tall you are, and how likely you are to have certain health problems. Proteins drive important body functions, like digesting food, building cells, and moving your muscles. The information in your DNA gives your cells instructions for producing proteins. Humans and all other living things have DNA, which contains hereditary information.
BUILDING BLOCS MANUAL
