Heredity and Genetics

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What is heredity?

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Heredity is the passing of traits from parents to offspring through genes.

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What is a gene?

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A gene is a segment of DNA that contains the instructions for building a specific protein, which influences a trait.

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What is an allele?

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An allele is a variant form of a gene that can produce different traits.

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What does homozygous mean?

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Homozygous refers to having two identical alleles for a particular gene (e.g., AA or aa).

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What does heterozygous mean?

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Heterozygous refers to having two different alleles for a particular gene (e.g., Aa).

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What is a phenotype?

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A phenotype is the observable physical or biochemical characteristics of an organism, determined by its genotype.

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What is a genotype?

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A genotype is the genetic makeup of an organism, represented by the alleles it possesses.

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What is a Punnett square?

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A Punnett square is a diagram used to predict the outcome of a genetic cross by showing the possible combinations of alleles.

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What is the significance of Mendel's experiments?

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Mendel's experiments with pea plants established the basic principles of heredity, including the laws of segregation and independent assortment.

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What is the law of segregation?

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The law of segregation states that during the formation of gametes, the two alleles for a trait separate from each other.