FRHD 1010 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Low Birth Weight, Teratology, Alcoholism
Document Summary
Zygote: the single cell that is formed from the fusing of two gametes, a sperm and an ovum. Dna (deoxyribonucleic acid): the molecule that contains the chemical instructions for cells to manufacture various proteins. Chromosome: one of the 46 molecules of dna (in 23 pairs) that each cell of the human body contains and that, together, contain all the genes. Gene: a small section of a chromosome; the basic unit for the transmission of heredity. A gene consists of a string of chemicals that provide instructions for the cell to manufacture certain proteins. Gamete: a reproductive cell; that is, a sperm or an ovum that can produce a new individual if it combines with a gamete from the other sex to form a zygote. Allele: any of the possible forms in which a gene for a particular trait can occur: genes that have various alleles are called polymorphic and each variation is a single-nucleotide polymorphism.