DNA Structure and Properties

Improving crop qualities by selecting offspring each generation for open pollination.

A process for good-quality hybrids that can't reproduce, using asexual reproduction methods.

Combining traits from two different breeds or species through mating or emasculation.

Fusing protoplasts from two different plants to express desirable traits.

A modern method that introduces genes from a different organism to improve traits.

A large database containing the 3D structures of proteins, DNA, and RNA.

The smallest distance between two distinguishable features in protein structure, measured in Angstroms.

The process of duplicating genetic material in cells for growth and reproduction.

An experiment that demonstrated the semiconservative nature of DNA replication.

The site where DNA replication occurs in both directions during synthesis.

The process where RNA polymerase makes a primer for DNA polymerase to extend.

A method of breeding where organisms with desirable traits are chosen to produce offspring.

The formation of small organic molecules from nonliving sources.

Large complex molecules, such as proteins and nucleic acids, formed from smaller organic units.

Simple vesicles with membranes that maintain a different internal environment.

Molecules capable of making copies of themselves, enabling inheritance.

An atmosphere with abundant electrons, helping organic compounds to form.

An experiment demonstrating abiotic synthesis of organic compounds mimicking early Earth conditions.

Fluid-filled compartments with a membrane that can exhibit life properties.

The building blocks of RNA that can form spontaneously from simpler molecules.

Changes in the rate and timing of development affecting body part growth.

Retention of juvenile traits in sexually mature organisms due to accelerated reproductive organ development.

Genes that control the positioning and spatial arrangement of body parts during development.

A specific class of homeotic genes that determine the body plan of an embryo along the head-tail axis.

A period of rapid evolution where organisms diversify to fill different ecological niches.

A process where a segment of DNA is copied, potentially leading to new gene functions and traits.

Genes that dictate the development and morphology of an organism.

Long-term changes in genetic makeup and structure of populations over time.

A group of individuals of the same species living in an area and interbreeding.

The process of transformation of species over time through genetic changes.

The initial species that diverges into different lineages through evolution.

The process where traits that improve survival are favored in a species.

The traits that enhance survival become more common in a population over time.

The differences in traits among individuals of a population.

Species tend to produce more offspring than can survive to maturity.

Some individuals survive longer and reproduce more than others due to favorable traits.

The human-controlled process of choosing specific plants or animals for breeding.

The process through which new distinct species arise from a common ancestor.

Later cynodonts had teeth with complex cusp patterns and two jaw hinges: the original articular quadrate and a new dentary-squamosal hinge.

Very late cynodonts lost the original articular-quadrate hinge, using only the dentary-squamosal hinge, similar to living mammals.

A bone that, in non-mammalian cynodonts, connected the jaw and later migrated to the ear region.

A bone in cynodonts that also shifted to the ear, contributing to hearing in mammals.

The hammer-shaped bone in the ear of mammals, evolved from the articular bone of cynodonts.

The anvil-shaped bone in the ear evolved from the quadrate bone of cynodonts.

The eon representing visible life, characterized by abundant fossils and major changes in life forms.

Era known as the age of mammals, marking significant evolutionary developments in mammals.

A geological period within the Cenozoic Era that includes the time of human evolution.

The period that is part of the Cenozoic Era, marked by mammal diversity.

The era known as the age of reptiles, including the time of dinosaurs and first flowering plants.

The last period of the Mesozoic Era, known for the extinction of dinosaurs and the rise of flowering plants.

A period in the Mesozoic Era where dinosaurs were diverse and the first birds appeared.

The period marking the first appearance of mammals and the earliest dinosaurs in the Mesozoic Era.