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Science Topic 7
Genes and Heredity
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Heredity | Passing traits from parents to offspring |
Dominant Allele | An allele whose trait always shows up in the classification of organisms |
Recessive Allele | An allele that is hidden whenever the dominant allele is present |
Probability | A number that describes how likely it is that a particular event will occur |
Genotype | An organism's genetic makeup, or allele combinations |
Phenotype | An organism's physical appearance, or visible traits |
Chromosome | A threadlike structure within a cell's nucleus that contains DNA that is passed from one generation to the next |
Cell Cycle | The series of events of which a cell grows prepares for division, and divides into two daughter cells |
Pedigree | A tool that geneticists use to map out the inheritance of traits |
Meiosis | The process that occurs in the formation sex cells (sperm and egg) by which the number of chromosomes is reduced by half |
Chromatids | The structure formed when a chromosome divides during meiosis |
Mitosis | The second stage of the cell cycle during which the cell's nucleus divides into two new nuclei and one set of DNA is distributed into each daughter cell |
DNA | The genetic material that carries information about an organism and is passed from the parent to the offspring |
Protein Synthesis | The process of which amino acids link together to form proteins |
Messenger RNA | Type of RNA that carries copies of instructions for the assembly of amino acids into proteins from DNA to ribosomes in the cytoplasm |
Transfer RNA | Type of RNA in the cytoplasm that carries and amino acid to the ribosome during protein synthesis |
Variation | Any difference between individuals of the same species |
Sex Chromosomes | The pair of chromosomes carrying genes that determine whether a person is biologically male or female |
Autosomal Chromosomes | The 22 pairs of chromosomes that are not sex chromosomes |
Mutation | Any change in the DNA of a gene or a chromosome |
Sex-linked Genes | A gene carried on a sex chromosome |
Artificial Selection | The process of which humans breed only those organisms with the desired traits to produce the next generation; selective breeding |
Genetic Engineering | The transfer of the DNA from one organism into another organism in order to get the desired traits |
Gene Therapy | The process of replacing an absent or faulty gene with a normal working gene to treat a disease or medical disorder |
Clone | An organism that is genetically identical to the organism from which it was produced |
Genome | The complete set of genetic information that an organism carries in its DNA |