Self Assessment Question # 4
for Lesson 12

by Dr Jamie Love © 2002 - 2005
Genetics Course

(True story.)
A veterinarian was presented with a calico cat. You may recall that the calico pattern of these cats is caused by the mosaic X inactivation patterns for genes involved in coat color. To the vet's surprise, the cat was a "tom" (a male cat)!

Is that normal?

How could that happen?

Hint - the vet solved the mystery by checking the cat's karyotype. What do you think was discovered about this cat's chromosomes?

Go to the ANSWER

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All rights reserved by Dr Jamie Love © 2002 - 2005

Dr Jamie Love, the producer of these Genetics lessons, has written several self-study science courses specifically designed for home schoolers and other distance learners. These courses are "hypertextbooks" - delivered over the internet and read on your computer, just like web pages.
To organize and distribute these hypertextbooks, Jamie created Merlin's Science Academy - a (non-accredited) "virtual school". Merlin's Science Academy sells self-paced, self-learning hypertextbooks that teach Alchemy (actually, Chemistry ), Astronomy and Genetics in a fun and unique way.
Each course has computerized exams, unique features and a style best suited for teaching the subject.

Principles of Alchemy (Chemistry) is for younger students (up to highschool),
while Principles of Astronomy is for more advanced students (hobbyists & first-year university),
and Principles of Genetics is most suitable for very advanced students (at university).

However, every student is different and it would not be fair to generalize. So, visit Merlin's Science Academy where you can learn more about the courses, request free samples of each course (to download onto your computer) and enjoy the free online samples.

Return to the Genetics Home Page.