What is Genetics in biology?
Genetics in biology is a branch
of biology concerned with the study of genes, genetic
variation, and heredity in organisms.
Though heredity had been observed for millennia, Gregor Mendel, Moravian scientist and Augustinian friar working
in the 19th century in Brno, was the first to study Genetics in scientifically.
Mendel studied "trait inheritance", patterns in the way traits are
handed down from parents to offspring over time. He observed that organisms
(pea plants) inherit traits by way of discrete "units of inheritance".
Genetics in biology in study of heredity in general and of genes in
particular.
Genetics in biology forms one
of the central pillars of biology and overlaps with many other areas, such as
agriculture, medicines and biotechnology.
This term, still used today, is a somewhat
ambiguous definition of what is referred to as a gene.
Trait inheritance
and molecular inheritance mechanisms of genes are still primary
principles of Genetics in biology in the 21st century, but modern Genetics in
biology has expanded beyond inheritance to studying the function and behavior
of genes. Gene structure and function, variation, and distribution are studied
within the context of the cell, the organism (e.g. dominance), and
within the context of a population. Genetics
in biology has given rise to a number of subfields, including molecular
Genetics in biology,
epigenetic and population Genetics in biology. Organisms
studied within the broad field span the domains of life
(Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya).
Genetic processes work in
combination with an organism's environment and experiences to influence
development and behavior, often referred to as nature versus nurture.
The intracellular or extracellular environment of a living
cell or organism may switch gene transcription on or off. A classic example is
two seeds of genetically identical corn, one placed in a temperate climate and
one in an arid climate (lacking sufficient waterfall or rain). While the
average height of the two corn stalks may be genetically determined to be
equal, the one in the arid climate only grows to half the height of
the one in the temperate climate due to lack of water and nutrients in its
environment.
Since the dawn of
civilization, humankind has recognized the influence of heredity and applied
its principles to the improvement of cultivated crops and domestic
animals. A Babylonian tablet more than 6,000 years old, for example,
shows pedigrees of horses and indicates possible inherited
characteristics. Other old carvings show cross-pollination of date
palm trees. Most of the mechanisms of heredity, however, remained a
mystery until the 19th century, when Genetics in biology as a
systematic science began.
Genetics in biology may be
defined as the study of genes at all levels, including the ways in which
they act in the cell and the ways in which they are
transmitted from parents to offspring. Modern Genetics in biology focuses on
the chemical substance that genes are made of, called deoxyribonucleic acid,
or DNA, and the ways in which it affects the chemical reactions
that constitute the living processes within the cell.
Genetics in biology action depends on interaction with the environment. Genetics in biology arose out of the identification of genes, the fundamental units responsible for heredity. Green plants, for example, have genes containing the information necessary to synthesize the photosynthetic pigment chlorophyll that gives them their green colour. Chlorophyll is synthesized in an environment containing light because the gene for chlorophyll is expressed only when it interacts with light.
If a
plant is placed in a dark environment, chlorophyll synthesis stops because the
gene is no longer expressed.
Examples of Gene in human
1. Classical or formal Genetics:
The study of the transmission of single genes within families and the analysis
of more complex types of inheritance.
2. Clinical Genetics:
The diagnosis, prognosis and, in some cases, the treatment of genetic diseases.
3. Genetic counseling: An
important area within clinical Genetics involving the diagnosis, risk assessment,
and interpersonal communication.
4.
Cancer Genetics: The study of genetic factors
in inherited and sporadic cancer.
5. Cytogenetic:
The study of chromosomes in health and disease.
6. Biochemical genetic:
The biochemistry of nucleic acids and proteins including enzymes.
7.
PharmacoGenetics: How genes govern the absorption, metabolism
and disposal of drugs and untoward reactions to them.
8. Molecular Genetics in biology: The
molecular study of Genetics in biology including particularly DNA and RNA.
9.
Immuno Genetics: The Genetics in biology of the immune system
including blood groups, HLA, and the immunoglobulin.
10. Behavioral Genetics:
The study of genetic factors in behavior in health and disease including mental
retardation and mental illness.
11. Population Genetics in biology:
The study of genes within populations including gene frequencies, the gene
pool, and evolution.
12. Reproductive Genetics in biology: The Genetics in biology of reproduction including genes and
chromosomes in germ cells and the early embryo.
13. Developmental Genetics:
The Genetics of normal and abnormal development including congenital malformations (birth
defects).
14. Cancer Genetics: The
study of the genetic factors in inherited and sporadic cancer.
15.
Eco-Genetics: The interaction of Genetics with the
environment.
16. Forensic Genetics:
The application of genetic knowledge, including DNA, to legal matters.
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