Final essay The actual question appears on the next page. Explain to me what you know about the subject. Remember to focus on the question and do not simply list facts. Explain how the facts you mention are important for your answer. Use the concepts we have discussed so far this semester. Use the formal terminology to the greatest extent you can. Stay focused – avoid bringing up topics from lecture and your reading that have nothing to do with the issues at hand. This is a take-home. You may seek additional information through the internet. Cite all sources of information you might use. Remember your audience: a person who is intelligent enough to understand whatever you say, but who does not know anything about the topic. You need to explain the topic thoroughly. Use a mature, scientific vocabulary, but be sure to explain the terminology you use. This semester we have studied many different aspects of biology that are relevant to human variation including genetics, environment, and interactions between genes and environmental conditions. Sometimes we have seen that genetic variation is an important cause of human phenotypic variation. Sometimes patterns of genetic variation correlate to race, such as alleles influencing skin color. Most of the time genetic variation does not correspond to patterns of racial self-identification or assignment – consider lactose tolerance and intolerance as an example. Most adult humans are lactose intolerant, but many people of northern European descent inherit alleles that make them lactose tolerant. The same is true for members of several African ethnic groups. Alleles giving lactose tolerance arose several times independently in various groups of humans, producing a pattern of variation that is independent of race. In the end, we decided that there is no real genetic distinction among races and that concepts of race do not correspond to any evolutionarily based biological classification. To borrow terminology from systematics, the part of biology that deals with classification and evolutionary relatedness of living things, human races are polyphyletic, not monophyletic, so classification by race has no biological basis. At the same time, we have studied how racial classification produces biological effects that have consequences for people – various racial disparities such as the patterns of diabetes that you wrote about earlier this semester. We have considered epigenetics, heritability and quantitative genetics, and gene-environment interactions as ways that environmental variation can produce phenotypic variation even over multiple generations. I have asked you to read about Arline Geronimus’ “Weathering Hypothesis” in general and applied specifically to disparities involving pregnancy, childbirth, and early childhood. Analyze her ideas as an elaboration upon the basic biological processes we have considered in recent weeks. That is, interpret her hypothesis in the context of environmental influences upon phenotypic variation. You have three goals in this essay: 1. to summarize the Weathering Hypothesis 2. to summarize important ways in which environmental variation can produce phenotypic variation 3. to interpret the weathering hypothesis in terms of the biological processes you addressed in goal 2 A good answer will include…. • a clear explanation of Geronimus’ Weathering Hypothesis and what “allostatic load” means (1 paragraph) • a summary of how she and others use the hypothesis to analyze disparities involving pregnancy, childbirth, and early life/infancy (1-2 paragraphs) • an explanation of what is meant by epigenetics, heritability and quantitative genetics, and gene-environment interactions (3 paragraphs, 1 for each topic) • a discussion of how each topic (epigenetics, heritability and quantitative genetics, and gene-environment interactions) could provide a mechanism for the Weathering Hypothesis (2-3 paragraphs) • your conclusion about the plausibility of Geronimus’ hypothesis with supporting reasons for your conclusion (1 paragraph) • clear and appropriate use of the concepts and terminology we have developed this semester • bibliographic citations of all references and sources you used, including discussions with members of the class and anyone else The rubric I will use when reading your essay will be based upon these bullet points. Use the rubric to guide your own work and to give each other peer reviews. Important Guidelines In essence you are testing the Weathering Hypothesis, so approach this topic in the same way you have other hypotheses this semester. In the end, do you accept, reject, or partially accept the hypothesis? You will need at least three pages (but most likely not more than five pages) to address the question well. Aim for at least three pages (double spaced, 10-12 point font, 250 words per page, approximately 500-750 words total). If you have more to say feel free to do so. Consider your reader to a member of this class who can understand everything you say, but who cannot be relied upon to fill in gaps in what you say. Explain everything as clearly as possible, using the terminology we have developed in class. 
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