Biology

Biology

A natural science concerned with the study of life or living matter in all its forms and phenomena, especially in relation to their origin, growth, reproduction, structure, behaviour and evolution.

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Biology > Genetics

endosymbiosis

Biology; Genetics

When one organism takes up permanent residence within another, such that the two become a single functional organism. Mitochondria and plastids are believed to have resulted from ...

evolution

Biology; Genetics

Darwin's definition: descent with modification. The term has been variously used and abused since Darwin to include everything from the origin of man to the origin of life.

evolutionary tree

Biology; Genetics

A diagram which depicts the hypothetical phylogeny of the taxa under consideration. The points at which lineages split represent ancestor taxa to the descendant taxa appearing at ...

extinction

Biology; Genetics

When all the members of a clade or taxon die, the group is said to be extinct.

gradualism

Biology; Genetics

A model of evolution that assumes slow, steady rates of change. Charles Darwin's original concept of evolution by natural selection assumed gradualism. Contrast with punctuated ...

hierarchy

Biology; Genetics

A series in which each element is categorized into successive ranks or grades with each level subordinate to the one above.

homology

Biology; Genetics

Two structures are considered homologous when they are inherited from a common ancestor which possessed the structure. This may be difficult to determine when the structure has ...