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| Cell Cycle | The series of events that take place in a cell leading to its division and duplication. The main phases of the cell cycle are interphase, nuclear division and cytokinesis. |
| Crossing-Over | AN exchange of genetic material between homologous chromosomes during anaphase 1 of meiosis; contributes to the genetic variability in gametes and ultimately in offspring. |
| Cytokinesis | The final phase of a cell cycle resulting in the division of the cytoplasm. |
| Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) | A macromolecule that encodes genetic information for living organisms and is capable of self-replication and the synthesis of RNA. |
| DNA Replication | The process in which DNA makes a duplicate copy of itself. |
| Gamete | A specialized cell (egg or sperm) used in sexual reproduction containing half the normal number of chromosomes of a somatic cells. |
| Gene | A sequence of nucleotides composing a segment of DNA that provides a blueprint for a specific hereditary trait. |
| Genetics | The scientific study of inheritance. |
| GEnotype | The genetic composition of an organism with refernce toa single trait, a set of traits, or the entire complement of traits to an organism. |
| Inheritance | THe process in which genetic material is passed from parents to their offspring. |
| Interphase | THe longest-lasting phase of the cell cycle in which a cell performs the majority of its functions, such as preparing for nuclear division and cytokinesis. |
| Meiosis | A two phase nuclear division that results in the eventual production of gametes with ahfl the normal number of chromosomes. |
| Mitosis | A nuclear division resulting in the production of two somatic celss having the same genetic complement as the original cell. |
| Multiple Alleles | More than two forms of a gene controlling the expression of a trait. |
| Phenotype | The observable expression of a genotype. |
| Protein Synthesis | The process in which amino acids are arranged in a linear sequence through the process of transcription of DNA and to RNA and the translation of RNA to a polypeptide chain. |
| Ribosome | A cellular structure composed of RNA and proteins that is the site of protein synthesis in eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells. |
| Transcription | The process in which a strand of mRNA is synthesized by using the genetic information found on a strand of DNA as a template. |
| Translation | The process in which the mRNA molecule on a ribosome is decoded to produce a sequence of amino acids for protein synthesis. |
| Allele | A variation of a gene's nucleotide sequence (an alternate form of a gene). |
| Gene Expression | The process in which a nucleotide sequence of a gene is used to make a funcitonal product such as a protein or RNA. |
| Gene Recombination | A natural process in which a nucleic acid molecule is broken and then joined to a different molecule; a result of crossing-over. |
| Genetic Drift | A change in the allele frequency of a population as a result of chance events rather than natural selection. |
| Semiconservative Replication | The process in which the DNA molecule uncoils and separates into two strands. Each original strand becomes a template on which a new strand is constructed, resulting in two DNA molecules identical to the original DNA molecule. |
| Endosymbiosis | A theroized process in which early eukaryotic cells were formed from simpler prokaryotes. |
