Sunday 4 November 2007

Feature: The Hardy-Weinberg equation, and genetic equalibrium

This topic isn't part of many medical courses, but it is fairly common if you're doing biology as an undergraduate (or as a premed). I also seem to get quite a few queries regarding it, so I thought it'd be helpful to tackle the subject briefly. By its very nature, it is fairly mathematical, but I've tried to use words and concepts as much as possible to elucidate the underlying mathematics. So, for what it's worth, here is the Hardy-Weinberg trilogy:

After writing the above, I came across a fallacious question relating to the topic, and a subsequent fallacious answer to that question. To my mind, the pair illustrated one of the difficult conceptual aspects of genetic equilibrium, and thus offered an opportunity to correct a common misconception. I've posted both here, with my own answer below them.

Lastly, I'll occassionally add some answers to common Hardy-Weinberg questions. Hope they're of use...

Question 1

Question 2

Question 3

Question 4

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