Part 1. Define heritability and the impact of the environment on the heritability of a trait. Give an example of an environmental factor that can impact risk for cancer. Part 2. Estimates of heritability have been generally low across cancers (<15%), yet there has been a great interest in sequencing tumors using exome-sequencing or whole genome sequencing to identify genetic causes of each cancer. Given the low heritability of nearly all cancers, should we expect to find a genetic cause for most cancer cases? Why or why not? Hint: Think about common genetic causes of cancer and ask yourself whether they are captured by heritability.

Biology (MindTap Course List)
11th Edition
ISBN:9781337392938
Author:Eldra Solomon, Charles Martin, Diana W. Martin, Linda R. Berg
Publisher:Eldra Solomon, Charles Martin, Diana W. Martin, Linda R. Berg
Chapter17: Developmental Genetics
Section: Chapter Questions
Problem 8TYU: Which of the following statements about cancer is false? (a) oncogenes arise from mutations in...
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Part 1. Define heritability and the impact of the environment on the heritability of a trait. Give an example of an environmental factor that can impact risk for cancer. Part 2. Estimates of heritability have been generally low across cancers (<15%), yet there has been a great interest in sequencing tumors using exome-sequencing or whole genome sequencing to identify genetic causes of each cancer. Given the low heritability of nearly all cancers, should we expect to find a genetic cause for most cancer cases? Why or why not? Hint: Think about common genetic causes of cancer and ask yourself whether they are captured by heritability. 

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