Genetics

Genomes, inheritance, and changes in genetic information.

Also under Evolution

A few problems to explore

13 total

Genome size evolution

Closely related organisms can carry very different amounts of DNA. What determines how genomes expand or shrink?

Mitochondrial DNA bottleneck

A mother’s mix of mitochondrial DNA variants can change sharply between generations. What physical sampling process drives that change?

Mammalian replication origins

Mammalian DNA replication can begin at many licensed sites. What determines which sites actually start copying in a given cell?

Mitochondrial gene retention

Mitochondria keep some genes while many others reside in the nucleus. Why do different lineages retain different sets?

Meiotic homologue recognition

During egg formation in fruit flies, matching chromosomes must find one another. How do repeated DNA sequences help them recognize a match?

Polyploid establishment

A plant with extra chromosome sets may have few compatible mates. Which conditions let a new polyploid population persist?

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