genetic code
nounDefinition of genetic code
: the biochemical basis of heredity consisting of codons in DNA and RNA that determine the specific amino acid sequence in proteins and appear to be uniform for nearly all known forms of life
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Examples of genetic code in a Sentence
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To test it, the zoo keepers compared the DNA of the mother and her daughter, and analyzed the genetic material in 14 places along their genetic codes, or microsatellites. — Ryan W. Miller, USA TODAY, "Without the help of any male, this female lizard became pregnant alone and gave birth," 7 June 2019 Extavour’s special expertise is in tracking the development of germ cells, the cells created in an embryo that contain the genetic code for reproducing multicellular organisms. — Peter Byrne, Quanta Magazine, "Debating the Evolution of Multicellularity," 25 Sep. 2013 The surge in aDNA data is due to cheaper, faster methods for reading genetic code, as well as the discovery three years ago that the dense petrous bone of the inner ear can preserve up to 100 times more aDNA than other skeletal parts. — Bridget Alex, Discover Magazine, "State of Science: Ancient DNA Starts Answering Archaeology's Big Questions," 1 Jan. 2019 Knowing what in the vast expanse of the genetic code is behind traits can fuel better treatments and information about future risks and illuminate how biology and evolution work. — Quanta Magazine, "Theory Suggests That All Genes Affect Every Complex Trait," 20 June 2018 He was interrogated by an FBI agent and spent a month under suspicion — all because the killer’s genetic code was similar to his father’s, whose DNA sample had been obtained by Ancestry.com. — Avi Selk, Washington Post, "The ingenious and ‘dystopian’ DNA technique police used to hunt the Golden State Killer," 27 Apr. 2018 This might have something to do with the size of shark genetic code, which is one-and-a-half times larger than human DNA. — Jill Kiedaisch, Popular Mechanics, "Could Shark DNA Help Fight Cancer in Humans?," 22 Feb. 2019 Source: Innovative Genomics Initiative John Gould / The Wall Street Journal Crispr holds the promise to correct intractable diseases by rewriting a person’s genetic code, or DNA. — Wenxin Fan, WSJ, "Chinese Gene-Editing Experiment Loses Track of Patients, Alarming Technology’s Inventors," 28 Dec. 2018 The authors mainly focused on searching for possible bacterial and viral DNA, because those are the types of genetic code that are relatively easy to extract from ancient samples. — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, "Gut bacteria linked to cataclysmic epidemic that wiped out 16th-century Mexico," 16 Jan. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'genetic code.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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