357

Lesson 357 of 500 ยท Extra Passages

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Genetics

๐Ÿ“–Story Brief #357

Genetics is the study of heredity, which is how traits are passed from parents to their offspring.

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Genetics is the study of heredity, which is how traits are passed from parents to their offspring. At the center of genetics are genes, which are tiny units of DNA that contain the instructions for building and maintaining an organism. Each gene can influence specific traits, like eye color or height. For example, if a child inherits a gene for brown eyes from one parent and a gene for blue eyes from another, the brown eye gene may be dominant. This means the child will likely have brown eyes. Genes come in pairs, one from each parent, and they can vary in form, known as alleles. These variations contribute to the diversity we see in living things. Understanding genetics helps scientists learn about diseases, evolution, and even how to improve crops for food.

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What are genes?

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