| allele | a variant sequence of nucleotides in a gene; a form of a gene
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| amino acids | building blocks of proteins
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| anticodon | three-nucleotide sequence on a tRNA molecule that helps match the appropriate amino acid with a specific mRNA codon
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| chromosomes | complex structures that house the supercoiled DNA in the nucleus
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| codon | a three-nucleotide sequence in which the DNA's triplet code is written onto the mRNA crossing over homologous, or sister, chromosomes exchange segments
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| deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) | the chemical compound, found in most living organisms, that contains basic information for the structure of life
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| diploid | having 46 chromosomes, arranged in 23 pairs
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| evolvability | the notion that much DNA may act as reserve variation for future selective pressures
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| gene | segment of DNA that contains the sequence for a protein
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| gene | pool all the alleles within a population
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| genetics | study of the basic structure and processes of DNA
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| genomics | study of the DNA including all associated molecules, chemicals, and evolutionary patterns
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| genotype | the genetic representation; the alleles in an organism's DNA
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| haploid | having 23 single chromosomes, half the genetic complement; found in gametes
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| heredity | the passing of biological information from generation to generation
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| heterozygous | the state of having different alleles at both loci for the same gene
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| homozygous | the state of having the same allele at both loci for the same gene
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| human genome | all the DNA in the human species
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| independent assortment | the observation that each locus sorts independently (in general)
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| locus | the place on a chromosome where a specific gene occurs
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| meiosis | the production of gametes (haploid cells)
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| messenger RNA (mRNA) | the form of RNA that takes the transcribed DNA message to the ribosome
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| mitosis | the process of cell division and replication
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| nucleotide bases | the four chemical bases that make up the core portion of DNA (adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine)
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| phenotype | an organism's observable, measurable traits
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| pleiotropic | the situation wherein one gene has many effects
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| polygenic | the situation wherein many genes combine to have one effect
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| polypeptide | a string of amino acids that folds in on itself and becomes a protein
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| population genetics | study of the distribution of the genetic variation within and between populations
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| protein synthesis | the process by which the nucleotide "message" is taken from a gene, transcribed, and translated into a protein
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| proteins | the building blocks of organic life
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| recombination | shuffling of maternal and paternal chromosomes during meiosis
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| replication | the process by which DNA copies itself
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| ribonucleic acid (RNA) | a molecule similar to DNA that is responsible for taking the message from the DNA in the nucleus of a cell to the ribosome in the cytoplasm and facilitating translation into a protein
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| ribosome | site of protein synthesis
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| transcription | copying the DNA message to RNA
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| transfer RNA (tRNA) | form of RNA that brings amino acids to the ribsome
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| translation | converting the mRNA message into a protein
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| triplet | three-nucleotide sequence in which the DNA's code is written
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