Editing Genetics (section)

{{short description|Science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms}}
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{{about|the general scientific term|the scientific journal|Genetics (journal){{!}}''Genetics'' (journal)}}
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'''Genetics''' is the study of [[gene]]s, [[genetic variation]], and [[heredity]] in [[organism]]s.<ref name="griffiths2000sect60">{{cite book | veditors = Griffiths AJ, Miller JH, Suzuki DT, Lewontin RC, Gelbart|title=An Introduction to Genetic Analysis |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-7167-3520-5 |edition=7th |publisher=W.H. Freeman |location=New York |chapter-url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/bv.fcgi?rid=iga.section.60 |chapter=Genetics and the Organism: Introduction}}</ref><ref name="Hartl_and_Jones">Hartl D, Jones E (2005)</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dictionary.com/browse/genetics|title=the definition of genetics|website=www.dictionary.com|language=en|access-date=25 October 2018}}</ref> It is an important branch in [[biology]] because heredity is vital to organisms' [[evolution]]. [[Gregor Mendel]], a [[Moravia]]n [[Augustinians|Augustinian]] friar working in the 19th century in [[Brno]], was the first to study genetics scientifically. Mendel studied "trait inheritance", patterns in the way traits are handed down from parents to offspring over time. He observed that organisms (pea plants) inherit traits by way of discrete "units of inheritance". This term, still used today, is a somewhat ambiguous definition of what is referred to as a gene.

[[Phenotypic trait|Trait]] inheritance and [[Molecular genetics|molecular]] inheritance mechanisms of genes are still primary principles of genetics in the 21st century, but modern genetics has expanded to study the function and behavior of genes. Gene structure and function, variation, and distribution are studied within the context of the [[Cell (biology)|cell]], the organism (e.g. [[Dominance (genetics)|dominance]]), and within the context of a population. Genetics has given rise to a number of subfields, including [[molecular genetics]], [[epigenetics]], and [[population genetics]]. Organisms studied within the broad field span the domains of life ([[archaea]], [[bacteria]], and [[eukarya]]).

Genetic processes work in combination with an organism's environment and experiences to influence development and [[behavioural genetics|behavior]], often referred to as [[nature versus nurture]]. The [[intracellular]] or [[extracellular]] environment of a living cell or organism may increase or decrease gene transcription. A classic example is two seeds of genetically identical corn, one placed in a [[temperate climate]] and one in an [[arid climate]] (lacking sufficient waterfall or rain). While the average height the two corn stalks could grow to is genetically determined, the one in the arid climate only grows to half the height of the one in the temperate climate due to lack of water and nutrients in its environment.