Mountain Ungulates
Chapter 5 Genetic Attributes and Research Interests Elizabeth P. Flesch, Tabitha A. Graves, Robert A. Garrott, Sarah R. Dewey, and Carson J. Butler THE GENOMICS REVOLUTION AND YELLOWSTONE Genetic research and engineering have infiltrated our daily lives in countless ways. New advances due to genomics are in the news almost every day. Genomics involves identifying the structure and function of genomes, which consist of the genetic infor- mation in individuals. Prior to the 1980s, scientists had a limited ability to study genetic material called DNA, which is short for deoxyribonucleic acid. Unlike today, they could not identify criminals using forensics, diagnose certain medical conditions and inherited diseases, or genetically modify plant crops for resistance to diseases and drought. In 1985, scientists invented an approach to make many copies of a small amount of genetic material. Scientists called this replication a polymerase chain reaction (PCR). A microorganism, Thermus aquaticus, discovered in a Yellowstone hot spring, provided the critical ingredient, Taq polymerase, to make this reaction possible. Taq polymerase assists in the steps necessary to replicate DNA and can withstand the heat necessary for the procedure. Today, laboratories produce many versions of this enzyme for a wide range of studies and applications. The technology that emerged from studying a Yellowstone hot spring now helps us understand, manage, and conserve the web of life in the Yellowstone area and throughout the world. 88 Greater Yellowstone’s Mountain Ungulates WHAT IS DNA AND HOW DO WILDLIFE BIOLOGISTS USE IT? Just as in people, DNA provides the instruction book for life within bighorn sheep and mountain goats.
[Show full text]