Re: [HAPS-L] Stuff our students remember...

[Ted Namm <Theodore_Namm@xxxxxxx>]

Chet,

A delightful story indeed.  As you pointed out, students sometimes 
remember only what they need to in order to spice up a story.

There is one (extremely rare) scenario where an AB parent CAN have a 
type O child.  If one parent is AB, and the other parent is type O, if a 
uniparental disomy occurs in transmission from the O parent, then the 
child can get both copies of O allele from one parent.  But, as I said, 
this is a very rare occurrence. 

Ted Namm
UMass Lowell
=======================================

> I just finished a summer session and had this interesting conversation with a colleague who was teaching biology at the same time I was doing my Intro. to Human Anatomy.  She was discussing blood types when one of her students says:
>     "Did you know that Dr. Harbut has a son that really isn't his?".
>      "What?" says my colleague (Connie) incredulously .
>      "It's true" says the student.   "Last semester Dr. Harbut told us that one of his kids is type O and he's type AB and there's no way that kid is his"
>
> The rest of the story:    After going through all the blood types and the genotypes that produce each I tell them how when my first one was born I asked the pediatrician what his blood type was and, after looking through her files, she says, "He's type O".  I pause and then respond "He can't be", and then proceed to tell her that I'm type AB.  I can still see her trying to remember her genetics.   I then act as though we're back in the recovery room (27 years ago) and tell my class that we didn't have a pool or a pool cleaner, no milkman, and besides, she (my wife) wasn't going to find anything better than me anyway...at least, not in those days (What's the line frrom Camelot?  "Humility is for the humble?").  Anyway, I then proceed to tell my students that they RECHECKED his blood type and sure enough he turned out to be an A.  That of course, is where the student probably stopped listening and was certain that I'd come home with a kid who really wasn't mine.
> I've been telling that story for what, maybe 25 years now, and as Connie said, just think of of all the former students out there who came away with the same impression as her student.
>
> The son in question is now in grad school at UPenn ("Pharmacology, drug interactions, etc., not Pharmacy" as he hastens to add).  I must admit however, that given his brains I sometimes wonder if he really is my kid.
>
> Just thought you might enjoy this story.
>
>
> Chet Harbut, Ph.D.
> Biology Dept.
> Cerritos Community College
> 11110 E. Alondra Blvd
> Norwalk, CA 90650
> (562) 860-2451  ext: 2684
>
>
>
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