Nuclear matters Flashcards
What role does DNA play in inheritance?
You get 23 chromosomes from your dad and another 23 from your mother. These chromosomes hold the DNA which in turn makes you who you are, inheriting these from your mum and dad in turn gives you traits they have or traits that laid dormant in their genes.
What is the relationship between DNA, genes, and chromosomes?
DNA is deribonucleic acid, it makes up genes and these genes are what determine your traits and these genes are tightly but neatly packed into chromosomes which you have 23 of in every cell of your entire body.
What are karyotypes?
A karyotype is a full set of DNA, in a sort of graph that shows every chromosome you have. This can be used to determine certain genetic disorders.
What are Gametes?
These are sex chromosomes, males have sperm, females have ova each contains 23 chromosomes. They are produced via meiosis. A XX gives a female a XY gives a male.
Cell
The basic structural and functional unit of all living organisms. Cells are the smallest units of life that can replicate independently.
Nucleus
A membrane-bound organelle found in eukaryotic cells that contains the genetic material (DNA) and controls the cell’s growth, metabolism, and reproduction.
Chromosome
A thread-like structure composed of DNA and proteins that carries genetic information. In humans, chromosomes are found in the nucleus of each cell.
Gene
A segment of DNA that contains the instructions for building a specific protein or set of proteins, which in turn determines a particular trait.
Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA)
The molecule that carries the genetic instructions used in the growth, development, functioning, and reproduction of all known living organisms and many viruses.
Meiosis
A type of cell division that reduces the number of chromosomes by half, resulting in four genetically distinct daughter cells. This process is essential for the production of gametes (sperm and ova).
Ova
The female gametes or eggs, which are produced in the ovaries and are involved in reproduction.
Sperm
The male gametes, produced in the testes, that fertilize the female ova during reproduction.
Mitosis
A type of cell division where a single cell divides to produce two genetically identical daughter cells, each with the same number of chromosomes as the parent cell. This process is used for growth and repair.
Fertilisation
The process where a sperm cell fuses with an ovum, resulting in the formation of a zygote, which eventually develops into a new organism.
Zygote
The initial cell formed when a sperm cell fertilizes an ovum. This cell undergoes multiple divisions and differentiations to develop into a new organism.
