Experiment exploring molecular genetics

An organism whose DNA has been damaged experiences changes in their physical characteristics and defects. If the condition is severe, it may lead to the organism acquiring many diseases and eventually, it dies. Effects of genetics and environmental factors on the germination of radish seeds Genetic properties of the seeds and the prevailing environmental conditions around the radish seeds determine their ability to germinate into plants. Genetic factors are considered to be internal since they affect the plant system development and expression of its genes (Teitel, Laursen, and Campbell, pp. On the other hand, environmental factors are external since they include supporting systems of growth of plans. The other genetic factor is post-translational processes. After genes have been injected into the radish seeds from another plant, they influence the subcellular localization of the seeds.

Gene modification also affects the way therapeutic proteins are assembled in the seeds. In the end, it may reduce the germination process and the quality of the plant. Environmental factors affecting the germination of radish seeds are determined by the seasons in which they are placed in the soil (Ungar, pp. The seeds require light to break down their food reserves. Lack of enough light in the soil reduces germination of the seeds, and it is caused by placing the seeds deep into the ground. Hypothesis If the seeds are microwaved, they will take more time to germinate than the seeds which are not microwaved. If the seeds are microwaved using high power for a long time, then germination of seeds will be much lower both in the light and dark conditions.

If the highly microwaved seeds are watered and placed in the sunny windowsill, then the germination of seeds will still be slower. A spray bottles Procedure: 1. Ten small plates were prepared and potting soil placed in them. The height of the soil in the plates was set at 2cm. Five of the plates were labelled "Light", and each one of them added labels 0, 5, 10, 15 and 30 seconds respectively. The remaining five plates were labelled “Dark” and each one of the plates marked with 0, 5, 10, 15, 30 seconds respectively. The seeds were left overnight, and the observation process took place the next day. The plates whose soil had dried was watered again. Yellow and green seedlings that had sprouted were recorded and the process repeated in the days that followed.

The seedlings and the soil used were then disposed of in the sixth day. Materials used in the experiment were then cleaned. The radish seeds that germinated were exposed to the sunlight; hence it has a lot of significance in the germination of radish seeds. The maximum radiation that a radish seed can be exposed to and still germinate is 0. 5 kGy. Microwave radiation on human beings would be fatal since it would lead to gene mutations and cancers. Human height phenotype gene expression since it is a physical characteristic of a human being. Also, the lack of temperature control can lead to errors. Seeds must be tested first to confirm their viability to prevent any sources of errors. A question that arises from this experiment is whether exposing the seeds to microwaves has adverse effects on the farm harvest, and it should be investigated in future research.