2.  passing on of characteristics from parents to offspring

3.  Structure inside of a cell nucleus that contains tightly compacted DNA

4.  A segment of DNA on a chromosome that codes for a specific trait

5.  alternative forms of a gene for each variation of a trait of an organism

6.  Cells that make up our body that are not sex cells.

7.  observed trait of an organism that mask the recessive form of a trait

8.  male and female sex cells, sperm and eggs

9.  trait of an organism that can be masked by the dominant form of a trait

10.  combination of genes in an organism

11.  outward appearance of an organism, regardless of its genes

12.  when there are two different alleles for a trait

13.  when there are two identical alleles for a trait

14.  characteristic that is inherited; can be either dominant or recessive

15.  an organism's complete set of DNA, including all of its genes

16.  one of the structural components, or building blocks, of DNA consisting of a base (one of four chemicals: adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine) plus a molecule of sugar and one of phosphoric acid

18.  the process by which genetic information represented by a sequence of DNA nucleotides is copied into newly synthesized molecules of RNA, with the DNA serving as a template

19.  the process by which a sequence of nucleotide triplets in a messenger RNA molecule gives rise to a specific sequence of amino acids during synthesis of a polypeptide or protein.

20.  a chain of covalently bonded amino acids.

21.  a simple organic compound containing both a carboxyl (—COOH) and an amino (—NH 2 ) group.

22.  the changing of the structure of a gene, resulting in a variant form that may be transmitted to subsequent generations, caused by the alteration of single base units in DNA, or the deletion, insertion, or rearrangement of larger sections of genes or chromosomes

23.  The recorded ancestry of a person, animal, or family.

24.  a sequence of three nucleotides that together form a unit of genetic code in a DNA or RNA molecule.