I just wanted to let you know that in science we have been talking about inheritance and genetics using a fictitious rat-like organism called a Larkey. Larkeys live in groups called "yammers." Larkeys are REALLY simple and have only four pairs of chromosomes. We have been looking at their genes for Appendage Length, Eye Color, Fur Pattern, and Tail Bushiness.
We began a Larkey breeding simulation today and prefaced it with a talk about how these adult Larkeys have 8 chromosomes in their nuclei. And that if the female and the male Larkey simply put two of their cells together, the offspring would have 16 chromosomes; but that most animals can't don't develop typically if they have extras. So the male and the female have to somehow divide their chromosomes in half to make sperm and egg cells. When these special "half" cells join together, they make a cell with 8 chromosomes just like the mother and the father.
The simulation uses cards and die-cut alleles to "pass" the genes from parent to offspring. It looks a lot more like a complicated board game that it looks like we're breeding imaginary critters. But if your child is asking you about heredity or about breeding animals, you know what they might be thinking about.
Our Larkey breeding program will continue this week and we will be examining the F1 and F2 generations from these matings.
I hope you're out enjoying that sun! What a beautiful afternoon!
Sincerely,
Brian MacNevin
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