erfðavísinda

Erfðavísindi, or genetics, is the branch of biology that studies heredity and variation in organisms. It investigates how traits are inherited, how genes influence development, and how genomes interact with the environment to shape form and function.

The discipline began with Mendel’s experiments on peas and the chromosome theory, was solidified by the discovery of DNA’s structure in 1953, and expanded through molecular genetics, genome sequencing, and computational biology. The Human Genome Project, completed in the early 2000s, accelerated understanding of genes and disease.

Key concepts include genes, alleles, genotypes and phenotypes, genomic loci, gene expression, mutations, recombination, and epigenetic regulation.

Methods span DNA sequencing, PCR, gene editing (such as CRISPR-Cas), genetic mapping, GWAS, and bioinformatics.

Subfields include molecular genetics, genomics, population genetics, quantitative genetics, medical genetics, evolutionary genetics, and epigenetics. Applications cover medical diagnostics and therapies, pharmacogenomics, agricultural breeding and GM organisms, forensics, and conservation biology.

Ethical and legal considerations address privacy and consent for genetic data, data security, potential discrimination, counseling needs, and governance of gene editing and other biotechnologies.