Carriers do not have the disease they carry but can give the disease to a child if the other parent is also a carrier. A DNA molecule containing genes and found in the nucleus of a cell. Forty-four of our chromosomes are autosomes and the remaining two are sex cells. Other animals have different numbers of chromosomes. Every child gets half of his or her chromosomes from the father and half from the mother.
Geneticists use cloning in their research to study genetic structure and function.
A sequence of three bases in DNA or RNA that specifies an amino acid or a stop signal in protein synthesis. A hereditary disease in which the primary symptoms are breathing difficulties and respiratory infections due to an accumulation of mucus in the lungs. The symptoms of this disease usually develop in infancy. A kind of genetic mutation that results when a chromosome loses a piece of DNA, leading to disease or other abnormalities. The chemical found in the nucleus of the cell that holds the genetic instructions for making all living organisms.