Glossary of termsGenetics Genetics (from Greek γενητως - descended from someone) is the science of laws and mechanisms of heredity and variability. Depending on the object of study, genetics of plants, animals, microorganisms, humans and others are classified; depending on the methods used by other disciplines - molecular genetics, ecological genetics and others. Genetics (Greek: γεννώ - to give rise to) is the science of the laws of heredity and variation and the organization of hereditary material. The word "genetics" was first proposed to describe the knowledge of heredity and variation by the prominent British scientist William Bateson in a personal letter to Adam Sedgwick (April 18, 1905).
Because of the universality of the genetic code, genetics underlies the study of all life forms, from viruses to humans. Understanding of the mechanisms of heredity, i.e. the role of genes as elementary carriers of hereditary information, became possible with the application of cytology, molecular biology and other related disciplines to the problem of heredity.
Today, it is known that genes actually exist and are specially marked sections of DNA or RNA, the molecule in which all genetic information is encoded. The main task of genetics is to develop methods for managing heredity and variability in order to obtain the forms of organisms necessary for humanity, to regulate the formation of their natural and artificial populations, to study the nature of genetic diseases, and to solve problems of stability of natural and artificial populations of species. <<< |
