Chapter 1 Flashcards
What is genetics the study of
Biological information
What do all living organisms uses to grow, develop, and reproduce
DNA
Is DNA immutable
No
What is it called when DNA mutates continually (stays in gene pool)
Evolution
How does DNA store biological information
In little units called nucleotides
What are the four nucleotides
G C A T
What is a gene
A specific segment of DNA that encodes a particular RNA or protein
What are chromosomes
DNA molecules carrying genes
What are the functions of chromosome structures
To package, and manage storage, duplicate, express, and evolve DNA
What is a genome
An entire collection of chromosomes in a cell
How many distinct kinds of chromosomes are there in humans
24
What is metabolism
The chemical and physical reactions that carry out chemical conversions
What are proteins
Large polymers composed of hundreds to thousands of amino acids subunits in a long polypeptide chain
How many amino acids are there
20
What does the information in DNA control
The order of amino acids in a protein or RNA molecule
What is the third level of biological information
Biological systems
What is a biological system
Any complex interactive network of interacting molecules functioning in a coordinated manner
What was most likely the first information processing molecule
RNA
Why is RNA not our heritable material
It is too unstable
What is central dogma
The flow of information from DNA to RNA to protein
What is the flow of information from DNA to RNA to protein
The central dogma
What is convergent evolution
The appearance of functionally similar but morphologicaly different features
What are model organisms
Organisms that are ideal for studying (fruit flies)
What underlies the evolution of new genes with new functions in organisms
Duplication followed by divergence
