Genetics & Evolution, 100-EFF

The plants and animals that are so familiar to us today may have been harder to spot millions of years ago. The theory of evolution, one of the keystones of modern biological theory, is based on the idea that living things on Earth can be traced back to other preexisting types and that the differences are due to modifications that occurred over successive generations. Genetics, an essential part of the study of evolution, looks at the inheritance of characteristics by children from their parents. It can help explain how you got your mom's green eyes or why your hair is red even though your parents are brunettes.
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Genetics & Evolution Encyclopedia Articles By Title

1000 Genomes Project
1000 Genomes Project, an international collaboration in which researchers aimed to sequence the genomes of a large......
achondroplasia
achondroplasia, genetic disorder characterized by an abnormality in the conversion of cartilage into bone. As a......
acquired character
acquired character, in biology, modification in structure or function acquired by an organism during its life,......
albinism
albinism, (from the Latin albus, meaning “white”), hereditary condition characterized by the absence of pigment......
Alexander, Hattie Elizabeth
Hattie Elizabeth Alexander was an American pediatrician and microbiologist whose groundbreaking work on influenzal......
allele
allele, any one of two or more genes that may occur alternatively at a given site (locus) on a chromosome. Alleles......
Ambros, Victor
Victor Ambros is an American developmental biologist and molecular geneticist best known for his pioneering work......
Ames, Bruce
Bruce Ames was an American biochemist and geneticist who developed the Ames test for chemical mutagens. The test,......
Amud
Amud, paleoanthropological site in Israel known for its human remains, which provide important evidence of the......
anaphase
anaphase, in mitosis and meiosis, the stage of cell division in which separated chromatids (or homologous [like]......
Angelman syndrome
Angelman syndrome, rare genetic disorder that affects the nervous system. The syndrome is named for English physician......
anthropometry
anthropometry, the systematic collection and correlation of measurements of the human body. Now one of the principal......
antigenic drift
antigenic drift, random genetic mutation of an infectious agent resulting in minor changes in proteins called antigens,......
antigenic shift
antigenic shift, genetic alteration occurring in an infectious agent that causes a dramatic change in a protein......
Antinori, Severino
Severino Antinori is an Italian gynecologist and embryologist who championed the use of in vitro fertilization......
Arago
Arago, site of paleoanthropological excavation near the town of Tautavel in the French Pyrenees where more than......
Aramis
Aramis, site of paleoanthropological excavations in the Awash River valley in the Afar region of Ethiopia, best......
Arber, Werner
Werner Arber is a Swiss microbiologist, corecipient with Daniel Nathans and Hamilton Othanel Smith of the United......
Ardi
Ardi, nickname for a partial female hominid skeleton recovered at Aramis, in Ethiopia’s Afar rift valley. Ardi......
Ardipithecus
Ardipithecus, the earliest known genus of the zoological family Hominidae (the group that includes humans and excludes......
Asselar man
Asselar man, extinct human known from a skeleton found in 1927 near the French military post of Asselar, French......
assortative mating
assortative mating, in human genetics, a form of nonrandom mating in which pair bonds are established on the basis......
Atapuerca
Atapuerca, site of several limestone caves near Burgos in northern Spain, known for the abundant human (genus Homo)......
Avery, Oswald
Oswald Avery was a Canadian-born American bacteriologist whose research helped ascertain that DNA is the substance......
Ayala, Francisco J.
Francisco J. Ayala was a Spanish-born American evolutionary geneticist and molecular biologist best known for expounding......
backcross
backcross, the mating of a hybrid organism (offspring of genetically unlike parents) with one of its parents or......
Baer, Karl Ernst von
Karl Ernst von Baer was a Prussian-Estonian embryologist who discovered the mammalian ovum and the notochord and......
Bateson, William
William Bateson was a British biologist who founded and named the science of genetics and whose experiments provided......
Beadle, George Wells
George Wells Beadle was an American geneticist who helped found biochemical genetics when he showed that genes......
Bearn, Alexander Gordon
Alexander Gordon Bearn was a British-born American physician and geneticist who discovered the hereditary nature......
behaviour genetics
behaviour genetics, the study of the influence of an organism’s genetic composition on its behaviour and the interaction......
Benzer, Seymour
Seymour Benzer was an American molecular biologist who developed (1955) a method for determining the detailed structure......
Berger, Lee
Lee Berger is an American-born South African paleoanthropologist known for the discovery of the fossil skeletons......
Bergmann’s Rule
Bergmann’s Rule, in zoology, principle correlating external temperature and the ratio of body surface to weight......
binary fission
binary fission, asexual reproduction by a separation of the body into two new bodies. In the process of binary......
Black, Davidson
Davidson Black was a Canadian physician and physical anthropologist who first postulated the existence of a distinct......
Blakeslee, Albert Francis
Albert Francis Blakeslee was a prominent American botanist and geneticist who achieved world renown for his research......
Blumenbach, Johann Friedrich
Johann Friedrich Blumenbach was a German anthropologist, physiologist, and comparative anatomist, frequently called......
Bodo
Bodo, site of paleoanthropological excavation in the Awash River valley of Ethiopia known for the 1976 discovery......
Boule, Marcellin
Marcellin Boule was a French geologist, paleontologist, and physical anthropologist who made extensive studies......
Bouri
Bouri, site of paleoanthropological excavations in the Awash River valley in the Afar region of Ethiopia, best......
Bourne, Geoffrey
Geoffrey Bourne was an Australian-born American anatomist whose studies of the mammalian adrenal gland made him......
BRCA mutation
What are BRCA mutations? BRCA mutations are alterations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes that hinder DNA repair and......
Bridges, Calvin Blackman
Calvin Blackman Bridges was an American geneticist who helped establish the chromosomal basis of heredity and sex.......
Broca, Paul
Paul Broca was a surgeon who was closely associated with the development of modern physical anthropology in France......
Brown, Michael S.
Michael S. Brown is an American molecular geneticist who, along with Joseph L. Goldstein, was awarded the 1985......
Burbank, Luther
Luther Burbank was an American plant breeder whose prodigious production of useful varieties of fruits, flowers,......
Burt, Sir Cyril
Sir Cyril Burt was a British psychologist known for his development of factor analysis in psychological testing......
Capecchi, Mario R.
Mario R. Capecchi is an Italian-born American scientist who shared, with Sir Martin J. Evans and Oliver Smithies,......
Caspersson, Torbjörn Oskar
Torbjörn Oskar Caspersson was a Swedish cytologist and geneticist who initiated the use of the ultraviolet microscope......
cell division
cell division, the process by which cells reproduce. See meiosis;...
centromere
centromere, structure in a chromosome that holds together the two chromatids (the daughter strands of a replicated......
Chancelade skeleton
Chancelade skeleton, fossil remains of a human (genus Homo) discovered in 1888 in a rock shelter at Chancelade,......
character
character, in biology, any observable feature, or trait, of an organism, whether acquired or inherited. An acquired......
chimera
chimera, in genetics, an organism or tissue that contains at least two different sets of DNA, most often originating......
chromatid
chromatid, one of a pair of daughter strands of a replicated chromosome. Chromatids serve an essential role in......
chromosomal disorder
chromosomal disorder, any syndrome characterized by malformations or malfunctions in any of the body’s systems,......
chromosome
chromosome, the microscopic threadlike part of the cell that carries hereditary information in the form of genes.......
cleidocranial dysostosis
cleidocranial dysostosis, rare congenital, hereditary disorder characterized by collarbones that are absent or......
climatic adaptation
climatic adaptation, in physical anthropology, the genetic adaptation of human beings to different environmental......
clone
clone, cell or organism that is genetically identical to the original cell or organism from which it is derived.......
codominance
codominance, in genetics, phenomenon in which two alleles (different versions of the same gene) are expressed to......
codon
codon, in genetics, any of 64 different sequences of three adjacent nucleotides in DNA that either encodes information......
Cohen, Stanley
Stanley Cohen was an American biochemist who, with Rita Levi-Montalcini, shared the 1986 Nobel Prize for Physiology......
Collins, Francis
Francis Collins is an American geneticist who discovered genes causing genetic diseases and who was director (2009–21)......
colour blindness
colour blindness, inability to distinguish one or more of the three colours red, green, and blue. Most people with......
complementation test
complementation test, in genetics, test for determining whether two mutations associated with a specific phenotype......
Coon, Carleton S.
Carleton S. Coon was an American anthropologist who made notable contributions to cultural and physical anthropology......
Correns, Carl Erich
Carl Erich Correns was a German botanist and geneticist who in 1900, independent of, but simultaneously with, the......
Crick, Francis
Francis Crick was a British biophysicist, who, with James Watson and Maurice Wilkins, received the 1962 Nobel Prize......
CRISPR
CRISPR, short palindromic repeating sequences of DNA, found in most bacterial genomes, that are interrupted by......
Cro-Magnon
Cro-Magnon, population of early Homo sapiens dating from the Upper Paleolithic Period (c. 40,000 to c. 10,000 years......
cystic fibrosis
cystic fibrosis (CF), an inherited metabolic disorder, the chief symptom of which is the production of a thick,......
cytogenetics
cytogenetics, in cell biology, field that deals with chromosomes and their inheritance, particularly as applied......
cytokinesis
cytokinesis, in biology, the process by which one cell physically divides into two cells. Cytokinesis represents......
Dali
Dali, site of paleoanthropological excavations near Jiefang village in Dali district, Shaanxi (Shensi) province,......
Darlington, Cyril Dean
Cyril Dean Darlington was a British biologist whose research on chromosomes influenced the basic concepts of the......
Dart, Raymond A.
Raymond A. Dart was an Australian-born South African physical anthropologist and paleontologist whose discoveries......
Davenport, Charles Benedict
Charles Benedict Davenport was an American zoologist who contributed substantially to the study of eugenics (the......
Dawkins, Richard
Richard Dawkins is a British evolutionary biologist, ethologist, and popular-science writer who emphasized the......
deafness on Martha’s Vineyard
deafness on Martha’s Vineyard, phenomenon in which a disproportionate percentage of the population living on Martha’s......
Delbrück, Max
Max Delbrück was a German-born U.S. biologist, a pioneer in the study of molecular genetics. With Alfred Day Hershey......
deme
deme, in biology, a population of organisms within which the exchange of genes is completely random; i.e., all......
Denisova Cave
Denisova Cave, site of paleoanthropological excavations in the Anui River valley roughly 60 miles (100 km) south......
Denisovan
Denisovan, member of a group of archaic humans who emerged about 370,000 years ago during the Pleistocene Epoch......
deoxyribose
deoxyribose, five-carbon sugar component of DNA (q.v.; deoxyribonucleic acid), where it alternates with phosphate......
determinant
determinant, in genetics, the term used in the late 19th century by the German biologist August Weismann to describe......
Dmanisi
Dmanisi, site of paleoanthropological excavations in southern Georgia, where in 1991 a human jaw and teeth showing......
DNA
DNA, organic chemical of complex molecular structure that is found in all prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells and......
DNA fingerprinting
DNA fingerprinting, in genetics, method of isolating and identifying variable elements within the base-pair sequence......
DNA sequencing
DNA sequencing, technique used to determine the nucleotide sequence of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid). The nucleotide......
Dobzhansky, Theodosius
Theodosius Dobzhansky was a Ukrainian-American geneticist and evolutionist whose work had a major influence on......
Dodge, Bernard Ogilvie
Bernard Ogilvie Dodge was an American botanist and pioneer researcher on heredity in fungi. After completing high......
Dolly
Dolly, female Finn Dorset sheep that lived from 1996 to 2003, the first clone of an adult mammal, produced by British......
dominance
dominance, in genetics, greater influence by one of a pair of genes (alleles) that affect the same inherited character.......
Doudna, Jennifer
Jennifer Doudna is an American biochemist best known for her discovery, with French microbiologist Emmanuelle Charpentier,......
dwarfism
dwarfism, condition of growth retardation resulting in abnormally short adult stature and caused by a variety of......
Dyson, Freeman
Freeman Dyson was a British-born American physicist and educator best known for his speculative work on extraterrestrial......
East, Edward Murray
Edward Murray East was an American plant geneticist, botanist, agronomist, and chemist, whose experiments, along......
effective population size
effective population size, in genetics, the size of a breeding population, a factor that is determined by the number......

Genetics & Evolution Encyclopedia Articles By Title