In genetics, the most important molecule is DNA. DNA is short for Deoxyribonucleic acid and plays a very important role in our life. It carries the genetic instructions needed for an organism to survive. It’s made up of sugar-phosphate backbones and nucleotides that carry the information (adenine A, guanine G, cytosine C, and thymine T). Segments of DNA are called Genes. A gene is a basic unit of heredity passed down through offspring. Alternate forms of a Gene are called Alleles. E.g.: If the Gene was eye color, the Alleles would be Blue, Brown, or Black. To organize and predict the alleles of an organism, a Punnet Square is used. A Punnet Square is basically a table to sort out the alleles of a “family”.
Traits are another important topic in Genetics. Traits can be defined as a certain characteristic an organism/a species has. Some traits are present through natural selection. Natural selection is a process where a trait that suits an organism’s environment stays. E.g, A bird with wings has a higher chance of survival in the mountains than a bird without. Natural Selection is needed for the survival (the state of living) of a species. To survive, organisms need to breed and produce offspring. The process of producing offspring is called reproduction. Reproduction might introduce a change in the alleles of the offspring. If these changes keep happening, the development of the species will occur. This development is stated to be evolution.