National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) - Homepage

Department of Genetics - Stanford University School of Medicine Genetics | Learn Science at Scitable Half of your DNA is determined by your mother's side, and half is by your father. So, say, if you seem to look exactly like your mother, and had gotten all phenotypes from her, perhaps some DNA that codes for your body and how your organs run was copied from your father's genetic makeup. So close, yet so far. In fact, it is through this dynamic regulation of gene expression that organismal complexity is determined. Additional examination of different organisms has revealed that all genomes are more complex and dynamic than previously thought. Detailed comparative analysis of different organisms' genomes has also shed light on the genetics of evolutionary history. Within a population, beneficial alleles are typically maintained through positive natural selection, while alleles that compromise fitness are often removed via negative selection. Our understanding in all these fields has blossomed in recent years.

Genetics The information in genomes provides the instruction set for producing each living organism on the planet. While we have a growing understanding of the basic biochemical functions of many of the individual genes in genomes, understanding the complex processes by which this encoded information is read out to orchestrate production of incredibly diverse cell types and organ functions, and how different species use strikingly similar gene sets to nonetheless produce fantastically diverse organismal morphologies with distinct survival and reproductive strategies, comprise many of the deepest questions in all of science. Moreover, we recognize that inherited or acquired variation in DNA sequence and changes in epigenetic states contribute to the causation of virtually every disease that afflicts our species. Spectacular advances in genetic and genomic analysis now provide the tools to answer these fundamental questions.

Understanding Genetics