Real-Life Communication
You might picture a lab technologist peering into a microscope and
not talking to anyone the whole day. But this is an image of the past. "Technologists
aren't put in the corner to work by themselves," says Fred Bauder. He is a
genetic technologist.
"New technologists won't survive without good
communication skills," he says. Genetic technologists must be able to explain
their findings to many different health-care professionals. "They must be
able to get help with their findings and be able to discuss cases and situations
with others."
Technologists must know a lot about the medical field
and the history of genetics. You're a professor of cytogenetics giving an
introductory lecture to students. This is how you begin:
Scientists
in the 1800s were increasingly interested in how life is formed, how it is
sustained and how various traits are passed on from generation to generation.
Long
ago in 1838, two scientists began to understand cell biology. These two scientists,
named Scheiden and Schwann, studied cells and came up with the cell theory,
which is still used today in cell biology to define the discipline.
This
is their theory of cell biology:
- All life forms are made from one or more cells.
- Cells arise from pre-existing cells.
- The cell is the smallest form of life.
Perhaps better known than Scheiden and Schwann in the field of cell
biology and genetics is Brother Gregor Mendel, an Augustinian monk. In 1868,
when Mendel was the abbot of a monastery, he worked out a theory that explained
how hereditary traits are passed on from one generation to the next. His theory
became known as Mendel's Law. Because of this discovery, Mendel is often called
the father of modern genetics.
Mendel used life forms such as pea plants
to demonstrate how hereditary traits can be mixed and passed on from one generation
to the next. These inheritances could be linked to chromosomes in cells where
genes combine and are passed on as new variations in offspring.
Your
students already have some questions. How do you answer them?
Questions:
- Who came up with the cell theory?
- Name two principles in the cell theory.
- Who is called the father of modern genetics?