Genetics: The study of heredity and the variation of inherited characteristics.
Trait: A specific characteristic or feature exhibited by an organism.
Variation: Differences in physical traits of an individual from the group to which it belongs.
Heredity: The passing on of traits from parents to their offspring, either through asexual reproduction or sexual reproduction.
DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid): The molecule that carries the genetic instructions for life.
Chromosome: Structures in the nucleus of a cell that are made up of DNA and protein. Humans have 23 pairs.
Gene: A segment of DNA that contains coding for a protein; a unit of heredity.
Genome: The complete set of genes or genetic material present in a cell or organism.
Karyotype: The number and appearance of chromosomes, including their length, banding pattern, and centromere position.
Mitosis: A type of cell division where one cell divides to produce two genetically identical cells.
Meiosis: A type of cell division that reduces the number of chromosomes in the parent cell by half and produces four gamete cells.
Gregor Mendel: The father of modern genetics who discovered the basic principles of heredity through experiments with pea plants.
Allele: Different forms of a gene that determine distinct traits that can be passed on from parents to offspring.
Genotype: The genetic constitution of an individual organism.
Phenotype: The set of observable characteristics of an individual resulting from the interaction of its genotype with the environment.
Dominant Allele: An allele that expresses its phenotypic effect even when heterozygous with a recessive allele.
Recessive Allele: An allele that requires both alleles in a gene pair to be recessive in order for it to be expressed.
Heterozygous: Having two different alleles for a specific gene.
Homozygous: Having two identical alleles for a specific gene.
Inherited Traits: Traits that are passed from parents to offspring through genes.
Acquired Traits: Traits that are gained by an organism after birth as a result of environmental influences or other factors.
Mutation: A change in the DNA sequence that can lead to new genetic variations and possibly result in positive, negative, or neutral changes to an organism's traits.