Problem: I read this background article the other day: Another example of incomplete dominance is with sickle cell anemia, a disease in which a blood protein called hemoglobin is produced incorrectly. This causes the red blood cells to have a sickle shape, making it difficult for these misshapen cells to pass through the smallest blood vessels. A person that is homozygous recessive ( ss ) for the sickle cell trait will have red blood cells that all have the incorrect hemoglobin. A person who is homozygous dominant ( SS ) will have normal red blood cells. I am facing a new situation today: Tom and Jerry are visiting the doctor today to have blood work done as part of a regular check up. After working on Tom's blood, the doctor tells him that his red blood cells should have no issue traversing his blood vessels. Jerry is told that his red blood cells are struggling to pass through his blood vessels and the doctor would like to run some more tests to see what the issue might be. Using the knowledge I acquired from the background article, how should I answer correctly the following question regarding my new situation: Which person more likely has sickle cell anemia?

A: Jerry

Problem: I read this background article the other day: The epidermis also contains melanocytes, which are cells that produce melanin. Melanin is the brownish pigment that gives skin much of its color. Everyone has about the same number of melanocytes, but the melanocytes of people with darker skin produce more melanin. The amount of melanin produced is determined by heredity and exposure to UV light, which increases melanin output. Exposure to UV light also stimulates the skin to produce vitamin D. Because melanin blocks UV light from penetrating the skin, people with darker skin may be at greater risk of vitamin D deficiency. I am facing a new situation today: Jacob has lived in a city in Sweden for most of his life. His favorite hobbies are reading and playing videogames so he rarely goes outside. Even as a kid, he almost never played outside and instead was in his house most of the time. Martin lives in the middle of the Sahara desert in a small town. The sun almost never stops beating down on Martin during the day and it's hard to find shade where he lives. Using the knowledge I acquired from the background article, how should I answer correctly the following question regarding my new situation: Is Jacob more or less likely than Martin to have a vitamin D deficiency?

A: less

Problem: I read this background article the other day: It would be very unadvisable to place a can of soup over a campfire without venting the can. As the can heats up, it may explode. The kinetic-molecular theory explains why. The air inside the rigid can of soup is given more kinetic energy by the heat coming from the campfire. The kinetic energy causes the air molecules to move faster and they impact the container walls more frequently and with more force. The increase in pressure inside may eventually exceed the strength of the can and it will explode. An additional factor is that the soup may begin boiling which will then aid even more gas and more pressure to the inside of the can. I am facing a new situation today: Two campers were in the woods over the week-end. They both had canned soup with them. Pete heated the can without venting it and it exploded, while Dan opened his can and heated it over the fire with no additional problems. Using the knowledge I acquired from the background article, how should I answer correctly the following question regarding my new situation: Which camper learned less about the soup boiling?

A: Pete

Problem: I read this background article the other day: Clouds on Earth are made of water vapor. Venus's clouds are a lot less pleasant. They are made of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and large amounts of corrosive sulfuric acid! The atmosphere of Venus is so thick that the pressure on the surface of Venus is very high. In fact, it is 90 times greater than the pressure at Earth's surface! The thick atmosphere causes a strong greenhouse effect. As a result, Venus is the hottest planet. Even though it is farther from the Sun, Venus is much hotter even than Mercury. Temperatures at the surface reach 465C (860F). That's hot enough to melt lead! I am facing a new situation today: Two friends studied different planets for their school project. Sean studied Earth's atmosphere, while Bill studied Venus's and Mercury's. Using the knowledge I acquired from the background article, how should I answer correctly the following question regarding my new situation: Which friend studied less about clouds made of carbon dioxide?

A:
Sean