Anatomy and Genetics: English Vocabulary List

a cell or organism containing a single set of unpaired chromosomes, typically denoted as n, representing half the genetic material of a diploid cell

"Sperm cells are haploid."

"Human sperm and egg cells are haploid because they contain only one set of chromosomes."

a family of transcription factors that play important roles in regulating gene expression in response to various stimuli

"Early growth response gene."

"Early growth response genes activate quickly after cell stimulation."

relating to the intestines, which are part of the digestive system responsible for absorbing nutrients and removing waste from the body

"The infection is intestinal."

"The intestinal infection caused severe abdominal pain and diarrhea and the doctor prescribed antibiotics and recommended drinking plenty of fluids."

the front part of the brain involved in higher cognition and executive functions

"Prefrontal cortex guides decisions."

"The prefrontal cortex is responsible for planning and personality."

(anatomy) an abdominal organ that controls the quality of the blood cells

"The spleen filters blood."

"The spleen helps fight certain infections."

the long, curved bone that connects the shoulder blade to the sternum

"The clavicle connects shoulder."

"The clavicle supports shoulder movement and stability."

(anatomy) a spiral cavity in the inner ear that contains sensory organs which send nerve signals to the brain in response to vibrations

"Cochlea converts sound waves."

"The cochlea is a spiral shaped organ in the inner ear that converts sound vibrations into electrical signals for the brain."

the first part of the large intestine, located in the lower right abdomen

"Cecum connects small intestine."

"The cecum is a pouch at the beginning of the large intestine where the small intestine empties its contents for further digestion."

the upper part of the human body, excluding the arms and the head

"Torso was injured."

"The boxer's torso was covered in bruises after enduring twelve punishing rounds in the ring."

any blood vessel, carrying the blood to different organs of body from the heart

"The artery carries blood."

"The blocked artery prevented blood from reaching the man's heart causing him to have a serious heart attack."

relating to the heart or the network of blood vessels encircling it

"Coronary arteries supply blood."

"The coronary arteries supply blood to the heart muscle and a blockage can cause a heart attack."

the bone that forms the ankle joint with the tibia and fibula, supporting the body's weight and allowing movement of the foot

"Talus supports body weight."

"The talus connects the leg to the foot."

a sac-like organ inside the body where urine is stored before being passed

"The bladder is full."

"She needed to use the bathroom because her bladder was full."

relating to processes and behaviors involved in the creation of offspring within a species

"Reproductive organs create offspring."

"The reproductive system includes the organs involved in producing offspring and it functions differently in males and females."

relating to any of the five senses

"Sensory input from eyes."

"The sensory neurons carry information from the skin eyes and ears to the brain so we can perceive the world around us."

relating to the sense of touch or the ability to perceive objects by touch

"Tactile feedback is important."

"The tactile sensation of touching soft fur is pleasant and many people enjoy petting animals because of the way it feels."

(anatomy) connected with the sensory part of the eye that sends signals to the brain, called retina

"Retinal cells detect light."

"The retinal scan is used for security purposes because each person has a unique pattern of blood vessels in their eyes."

related to the ability of hearing

"Auditory signals reach brain."

"The auditory cortex is the part of the brain that processes sound and damage to this area can cause hearing loss."

relating to sight or vision

"It is optical."

"The optical illusion made the lines look crooked but they were actually perfectly straight when measured with a ruler."

a very small threadlike structure in a living organism that carries the genes and genetic information

"Humans have twenty three chromosome pairs."

"A single chromosome can carry thousands of different genes along its length."

the genetic makeup of an organism, determined by the combination of genes inherited from its parents

"The genotype is genetic makeup."

"An organism's genotype determines which traits can potentially be expressed."

the observable physical and behavioral characteristics of an organism, resulting from the interaction of its genotype (genetic makeup) with the environment

"Your eye color is a phenotype."

"A phenotype is the observable physical or biochemical expression of an organism's genotype"

a person from whom other offsprings are descended

"The progenitor founded the dynasty."

"Historians identified him as the progenitor of several influential political families afterward."

(of an organism) having genetic material from another species that has been artificially introduced into its genome

"Transgenic organism has genes."

"The transgenic mice have been modified to carry human genes and they are used in medical research to study diseases."

a specialist in or student of the branch of biology that deals with how individual features and different characteristics are passed through genes

"Geneticist studies heredity."

"The geneticist studied the family's DNA to identify the mutation responsible for their inherited form of breast cancer."

the complete set of genetic material of any living thing

"The human genome has many genes."

"A genome is the entire set of genetic material present in an organism"

a visual display of an individual's chromosomes, used for genetic analysis and identifying abnormalities

"Karyotype shows chromosomes."

"The doctor ordered a karyotype test to look at the patient's chromosomes under a microscope and check for any missing or extra pieces."

the practice of improving the genetic quality of a human population through selective breeding and other methods

"Eugenics aims to improve."

"Eugenics was a dangerous pseudoscientific movement that tried to improve the human race by preventing certain people from having children."

one of two or more alternative forms of a gene that arise by mutation and are found at the same place on a chromosome

"Allele determines trait."

"An allele is a specific version of a gene; for example, the gene for eye color has different alleles for blue eyes and brown eyes."

(of a gene or trait) showing its specific appearance only when an individual inherits it from both parents

"Recessive trait needs two."

"The recessive trait only appears when a person inherits two copies of the recessive gene one from each parent."

having superiority in power, influence, or importance

"He has a dominant personality."

"The dominant company in the industry controls almost seventy percent of the market and sets the prices for everyone else."

a genetic condition in which an individual has three copies of a chromosome instead of the usual two

"The baby has trisomy."

"Trisomy means having three copies of a chromosome."

the region of a chromosome where the two sister chromatids are joined and where the spindle fibers attach during cell division

"The centromere holds chromatids."

"The centromere is the pinched region of a chromosome that holds the two sister chromatids together and attaches to spindle fibers during cell division."

the branch of genetics that studies the structure and function of chromosomes using microscopic and molecular techniques

"Cytogenetics studies chromosomes."

"Cytogenetics combines microscopy and genetics to study chromosomes and diagnose disorders caused by abnormal chromosome numbers or structures."

any chromosome that is not involved in determining sex, present in pairs in both males and females, and carrying most of an individual's genetic information

"Autosomes carry most genes."

"Humans have twenty two pairs of autosomes which are all the chromosomes except the sex chromosomes X and Y that determine biological gender."

the process of introducing foreign DNA or RNA into eukaryotic cells to study gene function or manipulate gene expression

"Transfection introduced new DNA."

"Transfection is a laboratory technique that introduces foreign DNA into cultured cells for research."

in a manner that is related to genetics or genes

"They are genetically related."

"They are genetically related because they share the same parents and therefore have many similar physical characteristics."

(biology) a change in the structure of the genes of an individual that causes them to develop different physical features

"The genetic mutation caused the flower to be white."

"The genetic mutation caused the plant to produce flowers with unusual colors and shapes."

(anatomy) the muscular body partition that separates the chest and abdomen

"The diaphragm helps us breathe."

"The diaphragm is a large muscle below the lungs that contracts to pull air in and relaxes to push air out during breathing."

a sack of tissue that is attached to the large intestine and is surgically removed if infected

"My appendix hurts."

"Appendicitis, an inflammation of the appendix, is a common surgical emergency requiring prompt medical attention."

the hard white external layer that covers the crown of a tooth

"Tooth enamel is hard."

"Enamel protects the teeth from decay."

a place in the body where two bones meet, enabling one of them to bend or move around

"My knee joint hurts."

"A physical therapist helps patients regain mobility and reduce pain in a damaged joint."

the row of small bones that are joined together down the center of the back of the body

"The spine is strong."

"The spine supports the body and allows us to stand upright."

(anatomy) a system of interconnected organs or tissues that perform a particular task in the body

"The digestive tract works."

"The digestive tract extends from the mouth to the anus and breaks down food for absorption."

related to the thyroid gland, a small organ in the neck that produces hormones affecting metabolism and growth

"Check your thyroid."

"An imbalance in thyroid hormones can significantly affect a person's energy levels and overall metabolism."

to receive traits or attributes from a previous generation through genetic inheritance

"You inherit your parents' traits."

"Children often inherit physical characteristics and certain predispositions from their parents."

to alter or change the genetic makeup of an organism through genetic engineering techniques

"We can modify the genes."

"Scientists aim to modify the plant's genetic makeup to resist common agricultural pests."

the passing down of traits from one generation to another within a family

"There is a long lineage."

"The ancient lineage of the royal family could be traced back through centuries of historical records."

(of genes) causing a person to inherit a particular physical feature, even if it is only present in one parent's genome

"This gene is dominant."

"The dominant gene for eye color often determines whether the offspring will have blue or brown eyes."

the process by which information from a gene is used to synthesize functional gene products, such as proteins, which can influence an organism's traits

"Gene expression is important."

"The differential expression of genes underlies the development of specialized tissues and organs."

a DNA sequence that has the same order of nucleotides on each side of the complementary DNA strands

"This DNA is a palindrome."

"The DNA sequence 'GAATTC' is a common palindrome found in restriction enzyme recognition sites."