Genetic Foundations (DNA to Traits)
This hereditary unit, made of DNA and located on a chromosome, contains the "individual recipe" for a specific protein
What is a gene?
This permanent change in the DNA sequence can result in harmful, beneficial, or neutral effects on an organism
What is a mutation?
This theory suggests species change over time because individuals with favorable traits are more likely to survive and reproduce
What is natural selection?
This law states that in any sequence of rock layers, the oldest fossils are at the bottom and the youngest are at the top
What is the Law of Superposition?
In wave physics, this specific property of a wave—the height from its rest position—is directly related to the amount of energy the wave carries.
What is amplitude?
This long, twisted, ladder-shaped molecule serves as the "cookbook" or master blueprint for all cell growth
What is DNA?
These types of mutations have no notable impact on an organism because they typically occur in non-coding segments of DNA
What are neutral mutations?
Unlike natural selection, where the environment is the "selector," this process involves humans choosing desired traits for profit or aesthetics
What is artificial selection (or selective breeding)?
Daily Double: Scientists use these widespread, short-lived fossils as "date stamps" to determine the relative age of different rock layers
What are index fossils?
These are the three distinct ways waves can behave when they encounter a new material or medium
What are reflection, absorption, and transmission?
These "building blocks" of an organism provide structure and support for cells and determine physical and behavioral characteristics
What are proteins?
An extra base added to a DNA sequence is called this, while a base being left out is called a deletion
What is insertion?
This specific outcome occurs when a population becomes better suited to its environment over many generations through natural selection
What is adaptation?
This field of study compares early developmental stages across species to find relationships not evident in fully formed adults
What is embryology?
This behavior is a form of transmission that occurs when a wave enters a new medium and its path appears to bend because its speed changes.
What is refraction?
This is the specific biological sequence (Central Dogma) that leads from a genetic change to a new physical characteristic (4 steps)
What is DNA → RNA → Protein → Trait?
In terms of inheritance, only mutations occurring in these two types of cells can be passed on to the next generation
What are sperm and egg cells?
This modern technology allows scientists to manipulate genes in a lab to create organisms with traits like insect resistance
What are Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)?
Evidence of common ancestry can be seen in these structures, like the shared bone patterns in a human arm and a whale flipper
What is comparative anatomy (or homologous structures)?
The mathematical representation of the energy of a wave in terms of its amplitude.
What is the square of the amplitude (or "energy is proportional to amplitude squared")?
Cells use this process to "turn on or off" different arrangements of genes, allowing a single set of instructions to create different cell types
What is gene expression?
This genetic disorder occurs when a mutation affects an entire chromosome, specifically resulting in an extra chromosome number 21
What is Down syndrome?
Triple Threat: These are the three primary factors—often involving limited resources—that encourage natural selection to take place
What are genetic variation, overproduction, and competition?
This biological concept is supported by the fact that whales have vestigial hip bones, human embryos have gill slits, and all life on Earth shares a universal DNA code.
What is common ancestory?
Daily Double: These two factors are the primary drivers of how human activities affect Earth’s systems
What are human population growth and per-capita consumption of natural resources?