Heredity and Genetic Effects In the previous section, the effects of radiatian on normal blood, or other body cells, was discussed. Part of this discussion involved how the cells go through division in order to reproduce somatic, or cells of the body. The sex cells of the body also are composed of chromosomes, made up of smaller parts called genes, which are composed of special chemicals (and chemicals, we will recall, are composed of molucules and atoms). These also go through a kind of "division" or reduction process. While there are some similarities, normal somatic cell duplication process and the process which creates sex cells, there are two major and important differences. The first is that the chromosome and genetic material in a somatic cell are responsible for duplicating another cell. A sex cell (spermor ovum), however, is responsible for creating an entire human being, including all the billions of somatic cells. difference is in the duplicating process. itself. The second A somatic cell can duplicate The cell produced (daughter cell) and the original cell (parent) can again both duplicate new cells. Sex cells, however, are unique in the fact that there are "parent" cells in the testes and ovaries which reserve the ability to produce immature cells, which then go through a subsequent process of division and are transformed into mature cells. cells are irradiated, those affected may pass on mutations. If immature This, however, is affected by the fact that other normal cells will be competing with them in the fertilization process and also that they have a certain life span. However, if the ‘parent’ cells which produce immature cells are irradiated and mutated, this will result in the constant production of mutated (46, p. 93) 31 (Ss immature and mature cells.