Genetics Glossary

noun a feeling of ill will, enmity, or hostility between people or groups

• The two business partners had a falling out, resulting in bad blood between them.
• There's been bad blood between those two ever since the argument.
• Those two have some serious bad blood going on.
• The bad blood between the two families dates back generations.

noun the branch of science that explores the chemical processes within and related to living organisms

• Biochemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms.
• I have a test on biochemistry next week, so I need to start studying.
• I never thought I would enjoy biochemistry, but it's actually pretty cool.
• Understanding biochemistry is like unlocking the secrets of life itself.

noun the process of deteriorating or declining in quality, strength, or condition

• The doctor diagnosed the patient with spinal degeneration.
• My grandma's knees are really hurting her because of the degeneration.
• I heard that sitting too much can cause back degeneration.
• The political party blamed the country's problems on the degeneration of moral values.

noun the branch of biology and medicine concerned with the study of embryos and their development

• Embryology is the branch of biology that deals with the formation and development of embryos.
• Studying embryology can help us understand how living organisms develop from a single cell.
• I never thought I would find embryology so fascinating, but now I can't get enough of it!
• In a way, understanding embryology is like unlocking the secrets of life itself.

noun a thing that is inherited; a legacy

• The inheritance was divided among the siblings according to their father's will.
• I heard she got a huge inheritance from her rich aunt.
• She hit the jackpot with that inheritance!
• Knowledge is the true inheritance that we pass on to future generations.

noun a condition in which a part of the body is abnormally formed or shaped

• The doctor diagnosed the baby with a congenital malformation.
• The baby was born with a malformation that will require surgery.
• That's a weird malformation on your arm, dude.
• The malformation in the data caused the entire system to crash.

adjective causing or capable of causing disease

• The pathogenic bacteria were identified as the cause of the outbreak.
• Those germs are pathogenic and can make you sick.
• Watch out for those nasty bugs, they're pathogenic!
• His toxic behavior was like a pathogenic virus spreading negativity everywhere.

noun a male reproductive cell or gamete

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• The sperm from the male fertilizes the egg from the female to create a new organism.
• I heard that sperm can live inside a woman's body for up to five days.
• Dude, don't be a sperm donor and just pull out.
• The sperm of creativity swam through his mind, giving birth to a brilliant idea.

noun the branch of science that deals with the study of viruses and viral diseases

• The study of viruses and viral diseases falls under the field of virology.
• Virology is all about studying viruses and how they infect living organisms.
• I'm diving deep into virology to understand how these little buggers work.
• Exploring the complexities of virology is like unraveling a puzzle with countless pieces.

noun an acronym for 'Human Immunodeficiency Virus', the virus that causes HIV/AIDS

• The Health Insurance Fund (HIF) provides coverage for medical expenses.
• I need to check if my HIF card is still valid for my doctor's appointment.
• My HIF is coming in clutch for this unexpected hospital visit.
• His ability to stay calm under pressure is like having a HIF for stressful situations.

noun the practice of making changes to one's lifestyle in order to improve physical and mental performance, often with the help of technology or biology

• Biohacking is the practice of making changes to your lifestyle in order to optimize your body and mind.
• Have you heard about biohacking? It's all about using technology and science to improve your health.
• I'm totally into biohacking, it's like hacking your body for better performance.
• In a way, biohacking is like customizing your own operating system for peak performance.

noun a structure formed in the early development of mammals, consisting of a hollow sphere of cells

• The blastocyst is a structure formed in the early development of embryos.
• I learned about blastocysts in my biology class.
• That blastocyst thing is pretty cool, huh?
• The blastocyst of our project is starting to take shape.

noun a microscopic, hair-like structure found on the surface of cells, used for movement or sensing the environment

• The cilium is a hair-like organelle found on the surface of many cells.
• I learned in biology class that the cilium helps with cell movement.
• My friend's hair looks like a cilium sticking out of his head.
• Her eyelashes fluttered like cilia in the wind.

noun a type of tumor that contains different types of tissues, such as hair, muscle, and bone

• A teratoma is a type of tumor that can contain different types of tissues such as hair, teeth, and bone.
• I heard that teratomas are really weird tumors that can have all sorts of random stuff in them.
• Teratomas are like those tumors that are like a crazy mix of different things, like a tumor salad or something.
• The project turned out to be a teratoma of ideas, with random elements coming together in a confusing mess.

noun MRCA stands for Most Recent Common Ancestor, referring to the most recent individual from which all organisms in a group are directly descended.

• The MRCA of all modern humans lived in Africa around 200,000 years ago.
• The MRCA of all of us was apparently a cool dude from Africa.
• Yo, did you know we all share a common ancestor called the MRCA?
• The MRCA is like the ultimate family tree root for all of humanity.

noun a type of organic compound that is a fundamental component of nucleic acids like DNA and RNA

• Purine is a type of organic compound found in certain foods and beverages.
• I read that purine is in a lot of high-protein foods.
• I try to avoid foods high in purine because they give me gout.
• The purine content in that drink is through the roof!

noun a departure from what is normal, usual, or expected

• The scientist studied the genetic aberrancies in the population to understand the causes of certain diseases.
• I heard there were some aberrancies in the data, but I'm not sure what caused them.
• The boss always points out the aberrancies in my work, but I think he's just being picky.
• Her unconventional style may seem like aberrancies to some, but to her, it's just a form of self-expression.

noun a new item added to a library or museum collection

• The museum catalogued the new accessions into their collection.
• The library added some new accessions to their shelves.
• The store just got some sick accessions in stock.
• Her accessions of wealth allowed her to live a life of luxury.

adjective a term used to describe a chromosome or cell that lacks a centromere, which is the region that joins sister chromatids

• The acentric chromosome displayed an unusual pattern of inheritance.
• The acentric piece of DNA didn't seem to belong to any particular chromosome.
• That acentric gene is like the odd one out in the genetic code.
• Her acentric personality made her stand out in a crowd.

noun the investigation or attribution of the cause or reason for something, often used in medical or scientific contexts

• The study aims to investigate the aetiology of the rare genetic disorder.
• Doctors are trying to figure out the cause of the illness.
• They're trying to get to the bottom of what's causing the problem.
• The aetiology of the conflict can be traced back to unresolved issues from the past.