The Blue People of Troublesome Creek

1. The Blue People of Troublesome Creek Daryl Hardnett Shaundra Mattox Termerion McCrary

2. In this lesson students will - • Understand basic principles of heredity • Discuss microevolution and decide whether the blue people of Appalachia are “evolving”.

3. K---W---L

4. Meet the Fugates… • Martin Fugate had methemoglobinemia, a condition that results in abnormal hemoglobin

5. Meet the Fugates • A symptom of this condition is “blue skin” which is due to the absence of the enzyme diaforase, a necessary enzyme that converts methemoglobin to hemoglobin

6. Meet the Fugates… • Martin married a carrier of the disease and they bore seven children; four of which were blue • The condition is inherited as a recessive trait and would appear most often in an inbred line

7. Fugate Pedigree

8. Geographic Isolation… • The people of Troublesome Creek were isolated from the rest of the country. When the town was settled there were no roads, making it hard to get out and people tended to intermarry • One of Martin’s sons married his maternal aunt and 100 years later Benjy Fugate was born • As railroads and development swept through, the blue Fugates started moving out of Troublesome Creek and marrying other people • The inherited blue began to disappear as the recessive gene spread to families where it is unlikely to be paired to a similar gene

9. Suggestions • Allele frequencies must change between generations • Drop West Nile • Do gene flow; another cup with alleles • Maps; History • Punnett Square • 2 cups: Male & Female cups