Introduction to Genetics Vocabulary Flashcards

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering basic genetic terms, key historical scientists, DNA/RNA structures, chromosomal classifications, and Mendelian inheritance terminology.

Genetics

The study of inherited traits, their variations, and how they are transmitted, serving as the scientific study of heredity.

Heredity

The transmission of traits and biological information between generations.

Genes

Units of heredity consisting of biochemical instructions that tell cells how to manufacture proteins.

Genome

A complete set of genetic instructions characteristic of an organism.

Genomics

The field that compares and analyzes the function of many genes.

Bioethics

A field that addresses controversies that arise from the misuse of genetic information and other related situations.

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)

A long molecule resembling a spiral staircase composed of alternating chemical groups (sugars and phosphates) containing sequences of Adenine (A), Thymine (T), Cytosine (C), and Guanine (G).

Friedrich Miescher

The scientist who first discovered DNA in 1869, referring to it as nuclein.

Ribonucleic acid (RNA)

A single strand that functions as a messenger to carry genetic instructions from DNA to the ribosomes so that gene sequence information can be utilized.

Alleles

One of two or more alternative forms of a gene that arise by mutation and are found at the same place on a chromosome.

Mutation

A change in the DNA sequence of an organism that can result from errors in DNA replication during cell division, exposure to mutagens, or viral infection.

Chromosomes

Structures made up of long strands of DNA which contain all of the body's genes.

Autosomes

The 22 pairs of chromosomes in human somatic cells arranged from largest (1) to smallest (22).

Sex Chromosomes

The last pair of human chromosomes that determine sex, designated as XX for females and XY for males.

Karyotype

A chart that displays chromosomes arranged from largest to smallest.

Gregor Mendel

The Father of Genetics, born in 1822 in Czechoslovakia, who grew and tested over 28,000 pea plants between 1856 and 1863.

Stamen

The male part of a flower, which Mendel cut away from pea plants to prevent unwanted self-pollination and eliminate unwanted traits.

F1 generation

Also known as the first filial generation, referring to the offspring produced by crossing plants showing contrasting traits.

Dominant Gene

A gene variant that is expressed when present in one copy.

Recessive Gene

An allele whose expression is masked by another allele.

Reginald Punnett

The creator of the Punnett Square, a diagram used to show the probability or chances of a certain trait being passed from one generation to another.

Homozygous

The state of possessing two identical alleles for a given gene (e.g., YY or yy).

Heterozygous

The state of possessing different alleles for a given gene (e.g., Yy).

Phenotype

The physical appearance or expression of a trait in an organism (e.g., tall, short, yellow, smooth).

Genotype

The genetic makeup of an organism, symbolized with letters (e.g., Tt or TT).