The Kohen Gene :: Biology Essays Research Papers

The Kohen GeneIn a world where Jews have assimilated so much into other cultures, is it possible to trace the lineage of an elite group of Judaic men all the way back to a man who lived three-thousand and five-hundred years ago? According to Karl Skorecki, a scientist at the Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, and Michael Hammer, a geneticist from the University of Arizona at Tuscan, the possibility is alive (1). In Jewish tradition, as writ ex in the Hebrew Bible, the Children of Israel were split into three groups. The Kohanim (the singular is simply Kohen) were the priests. The initial Kohen was Moses brother, Aaron, and all Kohanim since because are said to be descendants of Aaron. The second group was the Levis, of which Moses himself was a part of, and the third group was compiled of the remaining eleven tribes (of which ten have said to be lost), simply called the Israelites. Since the Kohanim were the priests among the Jewish people, their duties were the holiest and most important. They were in charge of the sacrifices brought to the Temple, and thus had the most intimate relationship with God, aside from the prophets much(prenominal) as Moses. After the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 C.E., and thus the secession of sacrificial offerings, the role of the priests became ceremonial. However, despite the fact that their strict duties do not apply today, all Kohanim, according to Jewish tradition, must still obey many commandments that pertain directly to them. The hope is that one day, a fresh Temple will be built, and their service will be required once again (1). According to Jewish tradition, the role of each individual (Kohen, Levi, or Israelite) is passed down patrilineally from father to son. In traditional and orthodox Judaism, a woman is known as the daughter of a Levi (if her father is a Levi) until she marries, and then she is the wife of a Levi. So, the concept of a kohen gene can only pertain to Jewish men who have not convert ed into the faith (1). A gene is a sequence of DNA that is used by cells to create protein. It has all of the information needed to make a protein. It knows when to make these protein and where to begin and end. The functions of a cell are then carried out by the proteins.