The following story was adapted from the CBS show “Ghost Whisperer,” Season 4, episode 5, “Bloodline,” original airdate: October 31, 2008. OPENING SCENE: Olivia, a blond teen, is resoundingly beating her male tennis opponent, Ned. She’s new in town and jokes that her partner went easy on her to make her feel welcome. From nowhere, a tennis ball cuts across their court. The dark-eyed brunette who hit it, Diana, stares at them. Olivia seems stunned into silence. Diana sneers at her and says, “Any day now.” Olivia hits the ball back to her, almost directly into her face. “What was that all about? You know Diana Morrison?” Ned asks. “I used to, back when I lived in Granville the first time,” Olivia answers. “Back then we were friends. It was like a million years ago.” As they walk away, we hear Diana’s tennis coach screaming, “Diana, Diana! Somebody help Diana, please!” “Is she OK? What’s happened?” Olivia gasps after running over. Diana has collapsed to the tennis court, not breathing. “She just dropped unexpectedly,” Diana’s coach responds. “Call 911!” SCENE 2:EMERGENCY ROOM: Diana is taken by ambulance to the emergency room. Olivia follows by car. At the hospital, Olivia’s brunette mother walks in. “I went to the courts to pick you up, and when you weren’t there, they said a girl had collapsed, I thought…” she stammers. “I’m fine, Mom,” Olivia assures her. “I’m sorry for scaring you. I should have called. It’s Diana.”?“Diana Morrison?” her mother asks, alarm spreading across her face.?“Where’s Diana Morrison?” a blond woman asks at the desk, “I’m her mother. They told me she was here.” Olivia and her mother turn to stare at the new arrival. “Olivia?” Diana’s mother asks. All three women stare at each other in confusion. “What are you doing here?” “Mrs. Morrison, I was at the courts with Ned, and Diana was there, too, taking a lesson I guess.” Olivia explains. “She just collapsed.” “Was it heat stroke?” Mrs. Morrison asks. “She barely ate any breakfast.” SCENE 3: MEMORIAL IN DOWNTOWN GRANVILLE THAT EVENING: Night has fallen in downtown Granville. A candle flickers over flowers and stuffed animals at a makeshift memorial. Diana’s mother is there comforting–and being comforted by—several young friends of her daughter. Olivia approaches Mrs. Morrison and tries to speak to her, but Mrs. Morrison rebuffs her. Olivia explains to her friend Ned, “When we were little our moms were such good friends, we did everything together. It was almost like we were sisters. Play dates, sports, and camping, we even have the same birthdays so our parties were like this whole big deal every year.” “What happened?” Ned asks. “It just ended,” Olivia explains. “I remember one night I woke up and my Mom was in bed with me—she was rocking me and crying and crying. I asked her what was wrong, but all she would say was that she loved me.” And then after that, everything changed. Diana’s mom and dad split up. We stopped hanging out with them, and then we got transferred to Texas, or my dad did, so we left,” Olivia shrugs. “My mom told me to forget about Diana, to make new friends. It was like she was mad at her, too.” Olivia looks up and stares across the street. “What’s Dad doing here?” Olivia’s father heads toward Mrs. Morrison, offering her comfort in an embrace. 1. What do you think is going on with these families? 2. The hospital would surely have records of Diana’s blood type on file. In general terms, how could blood type be used to figure out what is going on here? 3. For each of the following blood types, list all possible genotypes that can result in this blood type. a). Type A: b). Type B: c). Type AB: d) Type O: 4. Does inheritance of blood types follow typical Mendelian inheritance patterns? Explain. 5. Using I / IA / IB for the ABO gene alleles and + / – for the Rh gene alleles, indicate the genotype(s) for someone who is a). O negative: b). Homozygous A positive: [Hint: assume the wild-type Rh allele is haplosufficient]
The Correct Answer and Explanation is :
From the case study, it appears there may be a hidden or unresolved issue among the families that ties back to a shared past and possibly hidden relationships or secrets. The dramatic reactions and history of the characters suggest that the resolution might involve uncovering these secrets, possibly relating to familial connections that could be indicated by blood type compatibility.
Blood type can be crucial in uncovering familial relationships because it’s inherited from parents and can be used to rule out or confirm paternity or maternity. Hospitals keep records of blood types which can be referenced in cases where parentage is questioned or in need of confirmation.
Here’s how blood types correlate with genotypes:
- Type A: Possible genotypes are IAIA or IAi.
- Type B: Possible genotypes are IBIB or IBi.
- Type AB: The only possible genotype is IAIB.
- Type O: The only possible genotype is ii.
Inheritance of blood types does follow Mendelian inheritance patterns. Each parent contributes one allele, and the combination of these alleles determines the blood type of the offspring. Type O blood type (ii) is recessive, meaning both parents must contribute an i allele for the child to have type O blood. Types A (IA) and B (IB) are codominant, meaning that if both an A and B allele are present, the resulting blood type is AB.
For the specific genotypes requested:
- O negative: The genotype would be ii, Rh- Rh-. The negative indicates the absence of the Rh factor, which is a separate trait from the ABO blood group.
- Homozygous A positive: The genotype would be IAIA, Rh+ (assumed IAIA Rh+ Rh+ or IAIA Rh+ Rh-). The positive indicates the presence of at least one Rh+ allele.
These genetic details help explain inheritance patterns and can be used in scenarios like the one in the case study to determine relationships and even medical history or risks related to blood type compatibility in medical treatments.
Now, let’s generate an image to visually represent this case study scenario. I’ll create an image showing a dramatic scene where the main characters confront each other in a hospital setting, reflecting the tension and mystery suggested by the narrative.
Here’s the visual representation of the tense scene from the hospital waiting area in your case study. This image captures the emotional and mysterious atmosphere of the situation involving the characters. You can see the interactions among the characters, which visually enhance the narrative you’re exploring. Feel free to take a closer look at how the scenario is depicted.
