Introduction
• Definition
• Genetics is the study of inheritance in all of its
manifestations, from the distribution of human traits in a family
pedigree to the biochemistry of the genetic material in our
chromosomes, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).
• Genetics includes the rules of inheritance in cells, individuals,
and populations and the molecular mechanisms by which
genes control the growth, development, & appearance of an
organism.
, Three major areas of Genetics
• Classical genetics - concerned with the chromosomal theory
of inheritance; i.e. the concept that genes are located in a
linear fashion on chromosomes and that the relative positions
of genes can be determined by their frequency in offspring.
• Molecular genetics is the study of the genetic material: its
structure, replication, & expression, as well as the information
revolution emanating from the discoveries of recombinant DNA
techniques (genetic engineering, including the Human
Genome Project).
• Evolutionary genetics is the study of the mechanisms of
evolutionary change, or changes in gene frequencies in
populations. Darwin’s concept of evolution by natural selection
finds a firm genetic footing in this area of the study of
inheritance.
, Examples of areas of Genetics
Classical Genetics Molecular Genetics Evolutionary Genetics
Mendel’s principles Structure of DNA Quantitative genetics
Meiosis and mitosis Chemistry of DNA Hardy-Weinberg
Sex determination Transcription equilibrium
Sex linkage Translation Assumptions of
Chromosomal mapping DNA cloning and genomics equilibrium
Cytogenetics - Control of gene expression Evolution
chromosomal changes DNA mutation and repair Speciation
Extrachromosomal
inheritance
, Introduction
• Evolution is the change in allelic frequencies in a
population over time.
• Evolution is the result of natural selection (Charles
Darwin).
• Evolution takes place in populations of organisms
• In the 1920s &1930s, geneticists, primarily Sewall
Wright, R. A. Fisher, and J. B. S. Haldane, provided
algebraic models to describe evolutionary processes.
• The marriage of Darwinian theory and population
genetics has been termed neo-Darwinism.
• Definition
• Genetics is the study of inheritance in all of its
manifestations, from the distribution of human traits in a family
pedigree to the biochemistry of the genetic material in our
chromosomes, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).
• Genetics includes the rules of inheritance in cells, individuals,
and populations and the molecular mechanisms by which
genes control the growth, development, & appearance of an
organism.
, Three major areas of Genetics
• Classical genetics - concerned with the chromosomal theory
of inheritance; i.e. the concept that genes are located in a
linear fashion on chromosomes and that the relative positions
of genes can be determined by their frequency in offspring.
• Molecular genetics is the study of the genetic material: its
structure, replication, & expression, as well as the information
revolution emanating from the discoveries of recombinant DNA
techniques (genetic engineering, including the Human
Genome Project).
• Evolutionary genetics is the study of the mechanisms of
evolutionary change, or changes in gene frequencies in
populations. Darwin’s concept of evolution by natural selection
finds a firm genetic footing in this area of the study of
inheritance.
, Examples of areas of Genetics
Classical Genetics Molecular Genetics Evolutionary Genetics
Mendel’s principles Structure of DNA Quantitative genetics
Meiosis and mitosis Chemistry of DNA Hardy-Weinberg
Sex determination Transcription equilibrium
Sex linkage Translation Assumptions of
Chromosomal mapping DNA cloning and genomics equilibrium
Cytogenetics - Control of gene expression Evolution
chromosomal changes DNA mutation and repair Speciation
Extrachromosomal
inheritance
, Introduction
• Evolution is the change in allelic frequencies in a
population over time.
• Evolution is the result of natural selection (Charles
Darwin).
• Evolution takes place in populations of organisms
• In the 1920s &1930s, geneticists, primarily Sewall
Wright, R. A. Fisher, and J. B. S. Haldane, provided
algebraic models to describe evolutionary processes.
• The marriage of Darwinian theory and population
genetics has been termed neo-Darwinism.
