In order to understand the human body, model organisms are used as replacements for humans in experiments. These organisms are chosen for a variety of factors. First, they must be genetically similar to humans or have enough similarities in the area of study. Next, they need to have a short generation span so the effects of the study can be observed through the entire lifespan and into furture generations. During their lifespan, model organisms need to produce a large number of progenies to increase the sample size of the population. The gene crosses must be controlled as well and they must be suited to live in lab settings. Finally, the organisms need to have an accumulated body of knowledge. One example of a model organism if E. coli which are useful for the study of cell respiration.
Recent comments