Introduction to Genetics

Genotype: The genetic makeup of an individual organism
Phenotype: The physical and behavioral characteristics of an individual organism
Dominant: A trait that will be expressed if an individual has one copy of the dominant allele
Recessive: A trait that will be expressed only if an individual has two copies of the recessive allele
Homozygous: Having two copies of the same allele
Heterozygous: Having one copy of each of two different alleles

Laws of Mendelian Inheritance:
1. Law of Segregation: Each pair of alleles separates during gamete formation
2. Law of Independent Assortment: Alleles for different genes are sorted independently during gamete formation
3. Law of Dominance: A dominant allele will be expressed over a recessive allele
Punnett Square: A diagram used to predict the probability of different genotypes and phenotypes in offspring

DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid): A double-stranded molecule that contains genetic information
Chromosomes: Thread-like structures made up of DNA and proteins
Genes: Segments of DNA that code for specific traits or proteins
Nucleotides: Building blocks of DNA, consisting of a sugar, phosphate, and nitrogenous base
Base pairing: The process by which nitrogenous bases pair up to form the double helix structure of DNA

Transcription: The process of creating a complementary RNA copy from a DNA template
Translation: The process of building a protein from an RNA sequence
Gene regulation: The process of controlling gene expression in response to environmental cues or cellular signals

Mutations: Changes in the DNA sequence of an organism
Types of mutations:
- Point mutations: Changes in a single nucleotide
- Frameshift mutations: Changes in the reading frame of the genetic code
- Chromosomal mutations: Changes in the number or structure of chromosomes
Genetic variation: The differences in DNA sequences between individuals or populations

Genetics is the study of heredity and variation in organisms, examining how traits are passed from one generation to the next
Involves the study of genes, genetic information, and genetic variation to understand the inheritance of traits

Genotype: the complete set of genes that an individual organism possesses
Phenotype: the physical and behavioral characteristics of an individual organism resulting from the interaction of its genotype and the environment
Dominant trait: a trait that will be expressed if an individual has one copy of the dominant allele
Recessive trait: a trait that will be expressed only if an individual has two copies of the recessive allele
Homozygous: having two copies of the same allele for a particular gene
Heterozygous: having one copy of each of two different alleles for a particular gene

Laws of Mendelian Inheritance:
Law of Segregation: each pair of alleles separates during gamete formation, resulting in each gamete receiving only one allele
Law of Independent Assortment: alleles for different genes are sorted independently during gamete formation
Law of Dominance: a dominant allele will be expressed over a recessive allele if an individual is heterozygous
Punnett Square: a diagram used to predict the probability of different genotypes and phenotypes in offspring from a cross between two parents

DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid): a double-stranded molecule that contains genetic information, composed of nucleotides
Chromosomes: thread-like structures made up of DNA and proteins, found in the nucleus of eukaryotic cells
Genes: segments of DNA that code for specific traits or proteins
Nucleotides: building blocks of DNA, consisting of a sugar molecule, a phosphate group, and one of four nitrogenous bases (A, C, G, and T)
Base pairing: the process by which nitrogenous bases pair up to form the double helix structure of DNA, with A pairing with T and C pairing with G

Transcription: the process of creating a complementary RNA copy from a DNA template, occurring in the nucleus
Translation: the process of building a protein from an RNA sequence, occurring in the cytoplasm
Gene regulation: the process of controlling gene expression in response to environmental cues or cellular signals, involving the interaction of proteins and DNA

Mutations: changes in the DNA sequence of an organism, which can result in changes to the phenotype
Types of mutations:
- Point mutations: changes in a single nucleotide, which can be a substitution, insertion, or deletion
- Frameshift mutations: changes in the reading frame of the genetic code, resulting in a completely different amino acid sequence
- Chromosomal mutations: changes in the number or structure of chromosomes, affecting the entire genome
Genetic variation: the differences in DNA sequences between individuals or populations, resulting from mutations and other genetic changes