What does heredity mean?

Inheritance (English name), also known as biologicalinheritance, refers to the phenomenon that genes with corresponding traits are passed on to offspring through asexual reproduction or sexual reproduction, so that offspring can obtain parental genetic information.

Parental characteristics are transmitted from one generation to the next through DNA, a molecule that encodes genetic information. DNA contains four interchangeable bases, and the base sequence on a specific DNA molecule determines the genetic information.

Before cells divide by mitosis, DNA is copied, so each daughter cell contains the DNA sequence of the parent cell. Some sequences with functional units in DNA molecules are called genes, and different genes have different base sequences. In cells, long-chain DNA forms a concentrated structure called chromosome. Organisms inherit genetic material from their parents in the form of homologous chromosomes, which contain a unique combination of DNA sequences encoding genes.

The specific position of DNA sequence on chromosome is called gene locus. If the DNA sequence of a specific locus is different among individuals, then the different forms of this sequence are called alleles. Mutation can change DNA sequence and produce new alleles. If the gene mutates, the new allele may affect the characteristics of gene control, thus changing the phenotype of the organism.