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A study was conducted by neuroscientist to see it the eating habits of one generation would affect its future generations. This study was conducted on mice to see how many, if any, generations would be affected. The study confirmed that not only was the first generation of mouse offspring affected, but the second generation was also affected. The mice were put on high-fat diets. The generations after were 20% heavier and had a tendency to over eat. The mice got noticeably longer, but did not really gain fat because they normally do not have that tendency. This was present in both the female and male lines, also the mice were insulin-insensitive, which is a feature of diabetes that frequently leads to obesity. This is an incredible find because it is apart of a larger study being conducted by neuroscientist Tracy Bale. The study is to find out if the current obesity rates in humans that we are seeing all over the United States could have a impact on future generations. Scientist are studying the brains of the mice and trying to figure out exactly which gene is responsible for the transmittance of this trait.
When I first read this article it really stood out to me, it seemed interesting and reminded me of some of the things we talked about in class. This article relates to our Biol 121 class because in chapter 10 and 11 we talked about patterns of inheritance. This article discusses a pattern that will not only affect one generation but also the offspring of that generation. Chapter 12 in out text book talks about gene function and it is the genes that carry on the trait from one generation of the mice to the next.