Everything about Genetics
Science of genes, heredity and variation
Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms. It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinian friar working in the 19th century in Brno, was the first to study genetics scientifically. Mendel studied "trait inheritance", patterns in the way traits are handed down from parents to offspring over time. He observed that organisms inherit traits by way of discrete "units of inheritance". This term, still used today, is a somewhat ambiguous definition of what is referred to as a gene. Wikipedia →
🧭 Start here: a 6-step reading path
- Read the overview: GeneticsA 5-minute orientation
- Skim a recent paper: Plasma proteomic associations with genetics and health in the UK BiobankInfluential work since 2022
- Pick up a classic book: On the origin of species by means of natural selectionThe most-reprinted book on the subject
- Read the landmark paper: MEGA7: Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis Version 7.0 for Bigger DatasetsCited 39,804 times
- Go sideways: Outline of geneticsA closely related topic
- Go sideways: MicroevolutionA closely related topic
📖 Definitions
Noun The branch of biology that deals with the transmission and variation of inherited characteristics, in particular chromosomes and DNA.
Noun The genetic makeup of a specific individual or species.
🏆 Landmark papers (most cited)
MEGA7: Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis Version 7.0 for Bigger Datasets
MEGA6: Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis Version 6.0
MEGA X: Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis across Computing Platforms
MEGA5: Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis Using Maximum Likelihood, Evolutionary Distance, and Maximum Parsimony Methods
Standards and guidelines for the interpretation of sequence variants: a joint consensus recommendation of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics and the Association for Molecular Pathology
MEGA4: Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis (MEGA) Software Version 4.0
MEGA11: Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis Version 11
Arlequin suite ver 3.5: a new series of programs to perform population genetics analyses under Linux and Windows
🆕 Influential since 2022
Plasma proteomic associations with genetics and health in the UK Biobank
Prostate Cancer Review: Genetics, Diagnosis, Treatment Options, and Alternative Approaches
Genetics of circulating inflammatory proteins identifies drivers of immune-mediated disease risk and therapeutic targets
Large-scale plasma proteomics comparisons through genetics and disease associations
Stroke genetics informs drug discovery and risk prediction across ancestries
📚 Books worth reading
On the origin of species by means of natural selectionCharles Darwin · 1859
Introduction to genetic analysisAnthony J. F. Griffiths, Susan R. Wessler · 1993
Hereditary geniusSir Francis Galton · 1869
WatchersDean Koontz · 1987
The Selfish GeneRichard Dawkins · 1976
The Rosie ProjectGraeme Simsion · 2013
Human GeneticsRicki Lewis · 1993
The Genetic CodeIsaac Asimov · 1936
Ranked by number of editions on Open Library, a rough measure of how lasting a book is.
🔗 Related topics
- Outline of genetics The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to genetics: Genetics – science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms…
- Microevolution Microevolution is the change in allele frequencies that occurs over time within a population. This change is due to four different processes: mutation…
- Genetic linkage Genetic linkage is the tendency of DNA sequences that are close together on a chromosome to be inherited together during the meiosis phase of sexual reproductio…
- Non-Mendelian inheritance Non-Mendelian inheritance is any pattern in which traits do not segregate in accordance with Mendel's laws. These laws describe the inheritance of traits…
- Test cross Under the law of dominance in genetics, an individual expressing a dominant phenotype could contain either two copies of the dominant allele (homozygous…
- Homologous chromosome Homologous chromosomes or homologs are a set of one maternal and one paternal chromosome that pair up with each other inside a cell during meiosis. Homologs…
- Genetic analysis Genetic analysis is the overall process of studying and researching in fields of science that involve genetics and molecular biology. There are a number…
- Gene In biology, the word gene has two meanings. The Mendelian gene is a basic unit of heredity. The molecular gene is a sequence of nucleotides in DNA that…