Genetics

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The study of genes, heredity, and genetic variation in living organisms.

Molecular biology: The study of the structure and function of molecular components of cells, including DNA, RNA, proteins, and enzymes.
Gene expression: The process by which genetic information is used to synthesize proteins, which determine the traits and functions of cells and organisms.
Genetic variation: The presence of differences in DNA sequences between individuals, populations, or species, which can affect phenotypic traits, disease susceptibility, and evolution.
Inheritance patterns: The mechanisms by which genetic traits are passed from parents to offspring, including dominant, recessive, incomplete dominance, codominance, and sex-linked inheritance.
Chromosome structure and function: The organization and role of chromosomes in carrying genetic information, regulating gene expression, and facilitating cell division and differentiation.
Mutations and genetic disorders: The types and effects of changes in DNA sequences that can lead to alterations in gene expression, protein function, and disease, including single-nucleotide polymorphisms, insertions, deletions, and chromosomal abnormalities.
Genetic engineering: The manipulation of DNA sequences and genetic information in cells and organisms for scientific, medical, industrial, or agricultural purposes, including gene cloning, gene editing, and transgenic technology.
Biotechnology and its applications: The use of living organisms, cells, or molecules for producing, modifying, or detecting substances, including biopharmaceuticals, biofuels, food ingredients, and environmental sensors.
Evolution and population genetics: The mechanisms and patterns of genetic variation and change in populations and species over time, including natural selection, mutation, migration, genetic drift, and gene flow.
Ethical, legal, and social implications of genetics: The ethical, legal, and social issues that arise from advances in genetics and biotechnology, including privacy, equity, discrimination, eugenics, and clinical research.
Classical Genetics: It deals with the study of the inheritance of traits from one generation to another through the study of Mendelian genetics.
Molecular Genetics: It is the study of the genetic material at the molecular level. It focuses on the structure, function, and regulation of genes.
Population Genetics: It is the study of the dynamics of genes within a population. It deals with the changes that occur in the gene pool over time due to natural selection, mutation, migration, and genetic drift.
Developmental Genetics: It is the study of how genes and their interactions regulate the development of an organism from a single cell to a fully mature organism.
Medical Genetics: It is the study of genetic disorders and diseases, their diagnosis, treatment, and management.
Epigenetics: It is the study of how non-genetic factors, such as environmental influences and lifestyle factors, regulate gene expression and can affect inheritance.
Behavioral Genetics: It is the study of how genetics and the environment interact to influence behavior.
Ecological Genetics: It is the study of the genetic basis of ecological and evolutionary processes, such as adaptation, speciation, and conservation.
Forensic Genetics: It is the use of DNA analysis in legal and criminal investigations.
Evolutionary Genetics: It is the study of the genetic mechanisms that drive evolution and how genetic variation is maintained and changes over time.
Comparative Genetics: It is the study of genetic variation across different species and how it influences evolution and organismal diversity.
Genomics: It is the study of the genome, including the structure, function, and evolution of all the genes in an organism.
Synthetic Genetics: It is the design and creation of novel genes, genomes, and organisms.
Transcriptional Genetics: It is the study of gene expression and regulation, especially at the transcriptional level.
Nutrigenomics: It is the study of how diet influences gene expression and how this can affect health and disease.
- "Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms." - "Heredity is vital to organisms' evolution."
- "Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinian friar working in the 19th century in Brno, was the first to study genetics scientifically." - "Mendel studied 'trait inheritance', patterns in the way traits are handed down from parents to offspring over time."
- "Organisms (pea plants) inherit traits by way of discrete 'units of inheritance'."
- "This term, still used today, is a somewhat ambiguous definition of what is referred to as a gene."
- "Trait inheritance and molecular inheritance mechanisms of genes are still primary principles of genetics in the 21st century."
- "Modern genetics has expanded to study the function and behavior of genes." - "Gene structure and function, variation, and distribution are studied within the context of the cell, the organism, and within the context of a population."
- "Genetics has given rise to a number of subfields, including molecular genetics, epigenetics, and population genetics."
- "Organisms studied within the broad field span the domains of life (archaea, bacteria, and eukarya)."
- "Genetic processes work in combination with an organism's environment and experiences to influence development and behavior, often referred to as nature versus nurture."
- "The intracellular or extracellular environment of a living cell or organism may increase or decrease gene transcription."
- "A classic example is two seeds of genetically identical corn, one placed in a temperate climate and one in an arid climate." - "The one in the arid climate only grows to half the height of the one in the temperate climate due to lack of water and nutrients in its environment."
- "Heredity is vital to organisms' evolution."
- "Trait inheritance and molecular inheritance mechanisms of genes are still primary principles of genetics in the 21st century."
- "Gene structure and function, variation, and distribution are studied within the context of the cell, the organism, and within the context of a population."
- "Genetics has given rise to a number of subfields, including population genetics."
- "Genetic processes work in combination with an organism's environment and experiences to influence development and behavior, often referred to as nature versus nurture."
- "The intracellular or extracellular environment of a living cell or organism may increase or decrease gene transcription."
- "A classic example is two seeds of genetically identical corn, one placed in a temperate climate and one in an arid climate." - "The one in the arid climate only grows to half the height of the one in the temperate climate due to lack of water and nutrients in its environment."
- "Genetics has given rise to a number of subfields, including molecular genetics, epigenetics, and population genetics."
- "Organisms studied within the broad field span the domains of life (archaea, bacteria, and eukarya)."