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Genetics
Genetics, Heredity
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| genetics | the scientific study of heredity |
| fertilization | process by which the egg and sperm join to form a new organism |
| purebred | the offspring of many generations that have the same traits |
| heredity | the passing of physical characteristics from parents to offspring |
| trait | specific characteristics of an individual that can be passed along to offspring |
| gene | the factors that control a trait |
| allele | different forms of a gene |
| DNA | a complex molecule containing the genetic information that makes up the chromosomes |
| dominant allele | one whose trait always shows up in the organism when the allele is present; represented by a capital letter |
| recessive allele | an allele that is hidden whenever the dominant allele is present; represented by a lowercase letter |
| hybrid | organism that has two different alleles for a trait |
| probability | a number that describes how likely it is that an event will occur |
| Punnett square | chart that shows all the possible ways alleles can combine in a genetic cross |
| phenotype | organism's physical appearance, or visible traits (what you see) |
| genotype | organism's genetic makeup, or alleles (the letters) |
| homozygous | an organism that has two identical alleles for a trait (purebred) |
| heterozygous | an organism that has two different alleles for a trait (hybrid) |
| gamete | sex cell |
| somatic cells | any cells in the body other than reproductive cells |
| meiosis | process of reproduction by which the number of chromosomes per cell is cut in half as sex cells form |