Branches of Genetics

Question: Which is the study of genes at the level of atoms and molecules?

Answer: Molecular genetics studies the individual molecular chemical properties of cells at a small scale, looking at, among other things, the molecular structure of DNA.

Question: Which branch of genetics studies very small organisms, such as bacteria?

Answer: Until recently, microorganisms were unstudied because of their small size, but advances in technology have allowed the study of microbial genetics to blossom into a revolutionary branch of the science.

Question: Which is the study of the influence that genes and traits have on habits and actions?

Answer: Behavioral genetics studies the genetic source of certain actions and behaviors in organisms. An example of behavioral genetic study is the focus on twins and their different habits.

Question: Which is the modification of an organism’s genome?

Answer: Genetic engineering, or the manipulation of an organism’s genome, changes or adds genes to an organism’s sequence of DNA in order to create new traits or remove unwanted ones. It is used on many food products and animals and will likely be used on humans in the near future.

Question: Which branch of genetics studies chromosomes and their role in cell division?

Answer: Chromosomes, the containers for DNA and the code for genetic transfer, are studied in cytogenetics. Cytogenetics blends cytology, the study of cell structure, with genetics.

Question: Which is the foundation for all the other branches of genetics that focuses on the expression of traits and how they are passed down from parent to offspring?

Answer: Classical genetics was the first of all genetic studies, focusing on visible characteristics that are passed down from parent to offspring. Gregor Mendel was made famous for his study of heredity in pea plants that shaped our understanding of genetics today.

Question: Which is the study of genetics within groups of species in natural populations?

Answer: Ecological genetics shies away from laboratory settings and studies organisms in their natural habitats. This branch of genetics tends to focus on observable traits that are important in an organism’s survival and life, such as the colors of feathers on a bird or the size of their beaks.

Question: Which is the study of genomes, or the entire sequence of DNA within an organism?

Answer: Once scientists had developed the tools to compile them, they began to study entire sequences of DNA. Genomics, as the study of genomes is called, allows for evolutionary comparison between organisms and a broad study of genes and genetic interactions. It is one of the most-popular studies in modern genetic research.

Question: Which is the study of the change in alleles and genetic variation in a group of organisms?

Answer: Population genetics, as the name suggests, focuses on the genetic differences in organisms within the same group or population.

Question: Which is the genetic study of ontogeny, or the growth of an organism from fertilization to maturity?

Answer: Developmental genetics studies how an organism forms from a single or multicellular origin upon fertilization to a fully formed organism. Some studies of developmental genetics focus on the stem cell, an important cell that can differentiate into specialized cells and that is used frequently in medical research.