Genes and Traits

4. A characteristic or feature you can observe in an organism, like eye color, height, or hair texture
5. The process of passing genetic traits from parents to their offspring
7. mutation A genetic change that makes it harder for an organism to survive and reproduce
8. What something does; its job or purpose in the body
10. Molecular machines that do most of the work in your body, like building structures, fighting diseases, and carrying messages between cells
13. controls the produciton of protien
15. The control center of a cell where chromosomes and genetic information are stored
16. diversity The variety of different traits and gene combinations found in living things
19. When organisms become better suited to their environment over time through beneficial mutations

1. mutation A genetic change that helps an organism survive and reproduce better in its environment
2. How something is built or put together; the shape, size, and arrangement of parts
3. affects the visiable trait (phenotype)
6. Thread-like structures in your cell's nucleus that store genetic information; think of them as filing cabinets that organize your genes
9. A specific section of DNA that acts like a recipe or instruction manual telling your body how to make a particular protein
11. mutation A genetic change that doesn't significantly help or hurt an organism's survival
12. Any living thing, from bacteria to plants to animals
14. A change that occurs in a gene over time; like changing words in a recipe
17. The basic building block of all living things; contains genetic material and proteins
18. The molecule that contains all the genetic instructions for living things; like a master cookbook for your body
20. Different versions of the same gene; you get one from your mom and one from your dad