Genetics is the science of inheritance. You can investigate inheritance at the level of traits of organisms (phenotype) as well as well as genes at the DNA level. Recent technological developments even make it feasible to analyze whole genomes consisting of billions of base pairs, the “letters” of the genetic code. Genetic variation within a species is the raw material for evolutionary change, and this is the basis of genetics research at the Department of Biology. Advanced statistical methods enable reconstruction of the history of species and populations based on information contained in the DNA. This can, for instance, be used to estimate the time at which humans and the great apes split diverged into separate species, and how large the populations were when this took place. Genetic variation also plays a key role in the conservation of endangered animals and plants. Do the organisms have sufficient genetic variability to adapt to the stress caused by exposure to climate change? What are the consequences of inbreeding in small endangered populations and what can done to alleviate this? Which populations are most important to protect in order to maintain the species' evolutionary potential? These questions are examined in such diverse organisms as fruit flies, European eel and European bison. Finally, analysis of DNA is used increasingly to identify species, both within bacteria, plants and animals (DNA barcoding) and to determine their evolutionary relationships.

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