Evolution

Evolution

Of or pertaining to the change in the genetic composition of a population during successive generations, as a result of natural selection acting on the genetic variation among individuals, and resulting in the development of new species.

Industry: Archaeology

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Evolution

photoreceptor cell

Archaeology; Evolution

A cell, functionally part of the nervous system, that reacts to the presence of light. It usually contains a pigment that undergoes a chemical change when light is absorbed. This chemical change ...

mitochondrion

Archaeology; Evolution

A kind of organelle in eukaryotic cells. Mitochondria produce enzymes to convert food to energy. They contain DNA coding for some mitochondrial proteins.

class

Archaeology; Evolution

A category of taxonomic classification between order and phylum, a class comprises members of similar orders. See taxon.

unequal crossing-over

Archaeology; Evolution

A crossing-over in which the two chromosomes do not exchange equal lengths of DNA; one receives more than the other.

heterozygosity

Archaeology; Evolution

(for most purposes) The proportion of individuals in a population that are heterozygotes.

radiometric dating

Archaeology; Evolution

A dating technique that uses the decay rate of radioactive isotopes to estimate the age of an object.

stabilizing selection

Archaeology; Evolution

A form of selection that tends to keep the form of a population constant. Individuals with the mean value for a character have high fitness; those with extreme values have low fitness.