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Genetics For Dummies, 3rd Edition
book

Genetics For Dummies, 3rd Edition

by Tara Rodden Robinson, Lisa Spock
January 2020
Beginner
400 pages
11h 19m
English
For Dummies
Content preview from Genetics For Dummies, 3rd Edition

Chapter 17

Tracing Human History and the Future of the Planet

IN THIS CHAPTER

Bullet Relating the genetics of individuals to the genetics of groups

Bullet Describing genetic diversity

Bullet Understanding the genetics of evolution

It’s impossible to overestimate the influence of genetics on our planet. Every living thing depends on DNA for its life, and all living things, including humans, share DNA sequences. The amazing similarities between your DNA and the DNA of other living things suggest that all living things trace their history back to a single source. In a very real sense, all creatures great and small are related somehow.

You can examine the genetic underpinnings of life in all sorts of ways. One powerful method for understanding the patterns hidden in your DNA is to compare the DNA of many individuals as a group. This specialty, called population genetics, is a powerful tool. Geneticists use this tool to study not only human populations but also animal populations to understand how to protect endangered species, for example. By comparing DNA sequences of various species, scientists also infer how natural selection acts to create evolutionary change. In this chapter, you find out how scientists ...

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