Evolution is the process by which populations of organisms change over generations. Genetic variations underlie these changes.
- Genetic variation can arise from gene variants (also called mutations) or from a normal process in which genetic material is rearranged as a cell prepares to divide (known as genetic recombination).
- Genetic variations that alter gene activity or protein function can introduce different traits into an organism. When a trait is beneficial and helps the individual survive and reproduce, genetic variation is more likely to be passed on to the next generation (a process known as natural selection).
- Over time, as generations of individuals with the trait propagate, the beneficial trait becomes more common in a population, making the population distinct from one of the ancestors. Sometimes the population becomes so diverse that it is considered a new species.
What is the study of gene structure and function?
- All of these approaches can be used to either study individual genes or attempt large-scale analysis of the function of each gene in an organism - an emerging field known as functional genomics.
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