A STUDENT SHOULD KNOW THAT:

A. GENETIC INFORMATION IS ENCODED IN NUCLEIC ACIDS AND INHERITED.

1. DNA molecules carry the blueprint that control all cellular activity.
2. The molecule of DNA is capable of replicating.
3. DNA provides the continuity of traits from one generation to the next.

B. DNA CAN BE CHANGED TO PRODUCE PERMANENT CHANGES IN SPECIES.

1. Changes in DNA (mutations) can occur spontaneously at low rates.  Inserting, deleting or substituting DNA segments can alter genes.  An altered gene may be passed on to every cell that develops from it. The resulting changes may help, harm or have little or no effect on the offspring's success in its environment.
2. In sexually reproducing organisms, only mutations in germ cells (eggs and sperm) can be passed to an organism's offspring.

C. NATURAL SELECTION AND ITS EVOLUTIONARY CONSEQUENCES PROVIDE A SCIENTIFIC 
    EXPLANATION FOR THE FOSSIL RECORD OF ANCIENT LIFE FORMS, AS WELL AS FOR 
    THE STRIKING MOLECULAR SIMILARITIES OBSERVED AMONG THE DIVERSE SPECIES OF 
    LIVING ORGANISMS.

1. Evolution is the theory or set of theories which explains changes that occur in a species over a period of time.
2. The basic premise of theoretical biological evolution is that earth's present-day species developed from earlier, distinctly different species.
3. Fossil evidence and structural and biological similarities between species provide evidence that supports the theory of evolution.

D. THE PRINCIPLES OF GENETICS

1. Characteristics are inherited as a result of hereditary factors called genes.
   1. These genes occur, in most cases, in homologous pairs.  Some genes are dominant. Others which may be hidden are recessive.  Genes may separate without regard to how other genes separate in the production of sex cells.
   2. Recessive traits shown by one parent may be hidden for one or more generations, and show again in the descendants.
   3. Some traits do not exhibit strict dominance or recessiveness.
2. Our understanding of genetics has led to the development of improved varieties of plants, animals and medicines through the application of technology.
   1. New varieties of cultivated plants and domestic animals have resulted from selective breeding for particular traits.
   2. Genetic engineering has permitted the introduction of deliberate mutations, which may be maintained as new varieties.

TO UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPTS OUTLINED ABOVE, A STUDENT SHOULD BE ABLE TO:

• Explain the way in which genetic information is encoded and replicated.
• Explain how new discoveries changed the theory of genetics.
• Give examples from nature which support the scientific theory of natural selection.
• Explain the relationship of variation and mutation to natural selection.
• Show how the principles of genetics can explain how the sorting and recombining of genetic material result in the potential for variation among offspring from generation to generation.