Third Year Science

Genetics
 In this topic:
• What is genetics?
• Inherited and non-inherited traits
• Chromosomes and genes
What do we mean by “genetics”?
Genetics: the study of how traits or
characteristics are inherited
 Human traits (characteristics)
• What traits are all humans designed to have?

1 x nose
2 x legs 2 x lungs

1 x heart 2 x arms 2 x eyes

 Human traits (characteristics)
• What traits differ between people?

Eye colour Skin colour Accent

Height
Hair colour Interest in sports
 What causes these differences?
• Some differences are inherited from parents
• Some develop during life
 Inherited traits
• Inherited from our parents
• Traits stored in our genes
• Our DNA has the code

Eye colour

Hair colour Height Skin colour

 Non-inherited traits
• Learned during our life
• Not inherited from our parents
• Not controlled by genes

Interest in sports Accent Computer skills

 Chromosomes
Chromosomes: thread-like structures
made of DNA and protein, found in the
nucleus of cells

Chromosome
 Chromosomes
• Usually stretched out to be very long and thin
• Therefore, not normally visible in the nucleus
• Made of DNA and protein

Chromosome
 Genes
Genes: short sections of DNA located on
chromosomes
 Genes
• Control production of inherited traits
• They ‘code’ for characteristics
 Chromosome numbers
• Each cell in humans (except sperm and egg
cells) contain 46 chromosomes
• They are arranged in pairs, one set from each
parent
• So there are 23 pairs of chromosomes in each
cell
Chapter 11:
Genetics
DONE!!