Genetics for beginners

Natural selection is one of the basic mechanisms of evolution, along with mutation, migration, and genetic drift  ( Berkeley )  It is a  process  in  nature  in which  organisms  possessing certain genotypic characteristics that make them better adjusted to an  environment  tend to survive, reproduce, increase in number or  frequency , and therefore, are able to  transmit  and perpetuate their essential genotypic qualities to succeeding  generations . This theory was put forward by Charles Darwin, trying to explain how evolution of species occurs . Look at an example to help make the concept natural selection clearer:  Industrial melanism is a phenomenon that affected over 70 species of moths in England. It has been best studied in the peppered moth,  Biston betularia . Prior to 1800, the typical moth of the species had a light pattern. Dark colored or melanic moths were rare and were therefore c...

Deoxyribonucleic acid , more commonly known as  DNA , is a complex molecule that contains all of the information necessary to build and maintain an organism. All living things have DNA within their cells. In fact, nearly every cell in a multicellular organism possesses the full set of DNA required for that organism. However, DNA does more than specify the structure and function of living things — it also serves as the primary unit of heredity in organisms of all types. In other words, whenever organisms reproduce, a portion of their DNA is passed along to their offspring. This transmission of all or part of an organism's DNA helps ensure a certain level of continuity from one generation to the next, while still allowing for slight changes that contribute to the diversity of life. Source of info. 1.       http://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/introduction-what-is-dna-6579978 2.       https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/primer/b...