Gregor Mendel, an Austrian monk, conducted groundbreaking experiments with pea plants in the mid-1800s, establishing the fundamental principles of inheritance.

Heredity refers to the transmission of genetic characteristics from parents to offspring through genes.

Dominance is the phenomenon where one allele in a gene pair masks the expression of the other allele.

Alleles are different versions of a gene that can occur at a specific locus on a chromosome.

Genotype refers to the genetic makeup of an individual, consisting of the alleles they possess at various gene loci.

Phenotype refers to the observable characteristics of an individual, influenced by both their genotype and environmental factors.

Meiosis is the process by which genetic material is shuffled and distributed to offspring during sexual reproduction.

Locus refers to the specific location of a gene on a chromosome.

Replication is the process by which DNA makes an identical copy of itself.

Transcription is the process by which the information in DNA is copied into a complementary RNA molecule.

Translation is the process by which the information in RNA is used to synthesize a protein.

Genetic variation refers to the differences in genetic material among individuals of a species.

Mutation is the process by which genetic variation is introduced into a population through changes in DNA sequence.

Recombination is the process by which genetic variation is shuffled and recombined during sexual reproduction.

Natural selection is the process by which certain traits become more or less common in a population over time due to differential survival and reproduction.