Understanding key biological concepts helps us grasp how diseases spread and how our genetic makeup functions.
Malaria transmission occurs through female Anopheles mosquitoes that carry the Plasmodium parasite. The disease follows distinct 3 stages of malaria: initial infection when an infected mosquito bites a human, multiplication of parasites in the liver, and spread throughout the bloodstream. During the malaria transmission cycle, parasites develop inside mosquitoes before being transmitted to humans through bites. Prevention of malaria includes using bed nets, insect repellents, and antimalarial medications. Common malaria symptoms include fever, chills, headache, and fatigue.
Human genetics involves complex cellular structures, particularly chromosomes. In normal human body cells, there are 46 chromosomes arranged in 23 pairs. How many chromosomes do humans have varies between body cells and reproductive cells - body cells contain 46 chromosomes while human sperm cells contain 23 chromosomes. This difference is crucial for reproduction, as sperm and egg cells each contribute half the genetic material to form a complete set in offspring. In cases of genetic disorders like Down syndrome, individuals have an extra copy of chromosome 21, resulting in 47 chromosomes total. DNA base pairs form the foundation of genetic inheritance, with adenine (A) pairing with thymine (T) and guanine (G) pairing with cytosine (C). These 4 bases of DNA follow specific pairing rules that maintain genetic information integrity. In RNA base pairs, uracil replaces thymine, but the same pairing principles apply. Understanding these concepts is fundamental to comprehending genetic inheritance patterns and how traits are passed from generation to generation.
