Antagonistic pleiotropy hypothesis

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

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Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/antagonistic-pleiotropy-hypothesis

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific theory?An evolutionary hypothesis explaining senescence and the prevalence of certain genetic disorders
2. What is the proponents?Peter Medawar (1952) and George C. Williams (1957)
3. What is antagonistic pleiotropy?Antagonistic pleiotropy is when one gene gives a benefit early in life but causes a problem later. It shows how genes can have two different effects.
4. Why do some genes help when we are young but hurt when we are old?Genes that help us grow, survive, or reproduce when we are young are chosen by evolution. The bad effects that appear after we stop having babies are less important, so those genes stay in the family.

Senescence: The progressive deterioration of physiological functions associated with aging, leading to increased vulnerability and mortality.
Pleiotropy: The phenomenon where a single gene locus influences multiple phenotypic traits in an organism.
Natural Selection: The differential survival and reproduction of individuals due to differences in phenotype, a key mechanism of evolution.
Fitness: In evolutionary biology, fitness refers to an organism's ability to survive and reproduce in a particular environment.