growth, reproduction and genetics

• Unicellular


  Organisms or living things made of 1 cell
• Multicellular


  Organisms or living things made of more than 1 cell
• Cell division


  A process in which a cell splits to make 2 cells
• Why cells divide


  • Growth
  • Tissue repair, replace dead cells
  • Reproduction (Unicellular)
• Binary fission


  A type of cell division in unicellular organisms
• Types of reproduction


  • Asexual reproduction
  • Sexual Reproduction
• Asexual reproduction


  1 parent, Offspring is genetically a clone of the parent
• Sexual Reproduction


  2 biological parents, Offspring genetically diverse
• Spontaneous generation


  Archaic scientific theory which stated that living organisms could arise from non-living matter regularly in nature
• Sexual Reproduction


  2 parent/s, Offspring genetically diverse
• Stem cells


  Cells that have not specialized yet (to carry out a function)
• Embryonic stem cells


  Can become any of over 200 different types of human cells, Can be grown to become the desired cell type to treat a disease
• Spontaneous generation is a theory that stated that living organisms could arise from non-living matter regularly in nature
• Stem cells


  Can be found in early embryos and adult stem cells in various tissues
• Inherited characteristics


  Those passed in the genes from a parent to their offspring, can be physical or behavioral
• Acquired characteristics

  Those acquired through life experiences, not passed from one generation to another, can be physical or behavioral
• Chromosomes


  Thread-like structures of tightly wound up DNA found in the cell nucleus, made of DNA and protein, Humans have 46 (23 pairs)
• DNA

  The material that contains all the genetic information on how an organism should look and function, has the shape of a long double helix strand packed in chromosomes
• Components of DNA molecule

  • Sugar-phosphate backbone
  • Pairs of Nitrogenous bases: Adenine (A), Guanine (G), Cytosine (C), Thymine (T)
• Gene


  A section of DNA that codes for a particular protein, controls inherited characteristics, passed from parents to offspring during reproduction
• Gametes


  Egg and sperm, each get one copy of each gene
• Identical twins


  Have the same DNA and show little variation between them
• Dominant genes


  Control the characteristic and stop the recessive gene from working
• Recessive genes


  Only show their characteristic if the individual has 2 copies of it
• Genotype


  Combinations of alleles
• Phenotype


  The observable characteristics of an organism
• Genetic disorders

  Abnormality in an individual's genetic material caused by inherited genetic disease or mutations
• Genetic disorders


  • Down syndrome
  • Cystic fibrosis
  • Albinism
• Selective breeding


  Choosing parents with a particular characteristic to breed together and produce offspring with more desirable traits
• Domestication


  Accentuating a plant or animal traits at the genetic level as desired by humans, not the same as taming
• Cloning


  Production of new individuals that are genetically identical to one another