What is Genetics? 

Genetics is the study of genes, heredity, and genetic variation in living organisms. It is a branch of biology that deals with the science of inheritance and how traits are passed down from one generation to the next. Genetics has been an integral part of the evolution of various species and has helped scientists understand how different organisms have adapted to their environments. 

History of Genetics 

The history of genetics can be traced back to the 19th century when scientists first started exploring the inheritance patterns of pea plants. Gregor Mendel, an Austrian monk, is widely recognized as the father of modern genetics for his groundbreaking work on pea plants. His experiments led to the discovery of the laws of inheritance, which form the foundation of modern genetics. 

In the 20th century, scientists began to unravel the complexities of genetics and discovered DNA, the molecule that carries genetic information. The discovery of DNA revolutionized the field of genetics and paved the way for advancements such as genetic engineering and genome sequencing. 

Basic Concepts of Genetics 

Genetics involves several fundamental concepts that are essential for understanding how genes work. These include: 

Genes 

Genes are the basic units of heredity and are made up of DNA. They contain the instructions that determine the traits of an organism. 

Chromosomes 

Chromosomes are structures in the cell that contain DNA. Humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes, for a total of 46. 

Alleles 

Alleles are different versions of the same gene. For example, there are different alleles for eye color, such as blue, green, and brown. 

Dominance and Recessiveness 

Some alleles are dominant, which means that they are always expressed in an organism. Others are recessive, which means that they are only expressed when paired with another recessive allele. 

Inheritance 

Inheritance is the process by which genes are passed down from one generation to the next. It involves the transmission of genetic information from parents to offspring. 

Applications of Genetics 

Genetics has numerous applications in fields such as medicine, agriculture, and forensics. Some of the most significant applications of genetics include: 

Genetic Testing 

Genetic testing is used to identify genetic mutations that can lead to diseases. It is often used to screen for inherited disorders such as cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia, and Huntington's disease. 

Genetic Engineering 

Genetic engineering involves manipulating the DNA of organisms to create desired traits. It has applications in fields such as agriculture and medicine. 

Forensic Genetics 

Forensic genetics is used in criminal investigations to identify suspects and victims. It involves analyzing DNA samples to determine their source. 

Future of Genetics 

The future of genetics is bright, with new advancements being made every day. Some of the areas that are likely to see significant developments in the coming years include: 

Precision Medicine 

Precision medicine involves using genetic information to tailor treatments to individual patients. It has the potential to revolutionize the field of medicine by providing personalized treatments that are more effective and have fewer side effects. 

Synthetic Biology 

Synthetic biology involves creating new organisms or modifying existing ones by altering their DNA. It has the potential to create new treatments for diseases and to develop new technologies. 

Gene Editing 

Gene editing involves making precise changes to an organism's DNA. It has the potential to cure genetic diseases and to create new traits in organisms. 

Top Geneticist In Santa Ana, CA 

1. Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn, Molecular and Cell Biology Department, University of California, Berkeley, CA 
2. Dr. Jennifer Doudna, Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA 
3. Dr. Craig Venter, Human Longevity Inc, La Jolla, CA 
4. Dr. Francis Collins, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 
5. Dr. Mary-Claire King, Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 
6. Dr. George Church, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 
7. Dr. Eric Lander, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 
8. Dr. Bruce Alberts, University of California, San Francisco, CA 
9. Dr. Stanley Fields, Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 
10. Dr. David Botstein, Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 
11. Dr. Robert Waterston, Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 
12. Dr. Charles Cantor, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 
13. Dr. James Watson, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 
14. Dr. Janet Rossant, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Toronto, Canada 
15. Dr. Francis Collins, National Human Genome Research Institute, Bethesda, MD 
16. Dr. Michael Stratton, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK 
17. Dr. Craig Venter, J. Craig Venter Institute, Rockville, MD 
18. Dr. David Goldstein, Center for Human Genome Variation, Duke University, Durham, NC 
19. Dr. Eric Lander, Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA 
20. Dr. Richard Gibbs, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 
21. Dr. Maynard Olson, Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 
22. Dr. J. Craig Venter, Synthetic Genomics Inc., La Jolla, CA 
23. Dr. Stephen Scherer, The Centre for Applied Genomics, Toronto, Canada 
24. Dr. Lee Hood, Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, WA 
25. Dr. Huda Zoghbi, Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 
26. Dr. George Weinstock, Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 
27. Dr. Eric Green, National Human Genome Research Institute, Bethesda, MD 
28. Dr. Thomas Hudson, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto, Canada 
29. Dr. Heidi Rehm, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 
30. Dr. Xiaowei Zhuang, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 
31. Dr. Mark Johnston, Department of Genetics, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 
32. Dr. Stephen Scherer, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada 
33. Dr. Jeffrey Friedman, Rockefeller University, New York, NY 
34. Dr. Thomas Casavant, Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, WA 
35. Dr. John Greally, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 
36. Dr. Deepak Srivastava, Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA 
37. Dr. Jonathan Weissman, Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 
38. Dr. Kenneth Kaufman, Department of Genetics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 
39. Dr. David Altshuler, Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA 
40. Dr. Bruce Lahn, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 
41. Dr. David Haussler, Department of Computer Science, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 
42. Dr. Leslie Biesecker, National Human Genome Research Institute, Bethesda, MD 
43. Dr. Alexander Suh, Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University, New York, NY 
44. Dr. George Martin, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 
45. Dr. Stephen Quake, Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 
46. Dr. Alan Herrmann, Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, WA 
47. Dr. Chad Nusbaum, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 
48. Dr. Edward Rubin, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 
49. Dr. Roger Pedersen, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 
50. Dr. Richard Myers, HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL 
51. Dr. Helen Donis-Keller, Department of Genetics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 
52. Dr. Christopher Mason, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 
53. Dr. Robert Waterston, Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 
54. Dr. Alexander Urban, Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 
55. Dr. Michael Love, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 
56. Dr. Michael Snyder, Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 
57. Dr. Leena Peltonen-Palotie, Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, Helsinki, Finland 
58. Dr. Hypertension, Institute of Genetics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 
59. Dr. Atul Butte, Institute for Computational Health Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 
60. Dr. Victor Ambros, Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 
61. Dr. Stephen Kingsmore, Rady Children’s Institute for Genomic Medicine, San Diego, CA 
62. Dr. Jonathan Pritchard, Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 
63. Dr. Michael Snyder, Stanford Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine, Stanford, CA 
64. Dr. Stephen Scherer, The Centre for Applied Genomics, Toronto, Canada 
65. Dr. Mark Daly, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 
66. Dr. David Goldstein, Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy, Duke University, Durham, NC 
67. Dr. Joseph Ecker, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 
68. Dr. Jonathan Sebat, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, CA 
69. Dr. Robert Nussbaum, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA 
70. Dr. Stephen Friend, Sage Bionetworks, Seattle, WA 
71. Dr. Stephen Kingsmore, Rady Children’s Institute for Genomic Medicine, San Diego, CA 
72. Dr. John Mullikin, National Human Genome Research Institute, Bethesda, MD 
73. Dr. Yujun Cui, Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 
74. Dr. Mark Gerstein, Department of Biomedical Informatics, Yale University, New Haven, CT 
75. Dr. Michael Snyder, Stanford Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine, Stanford, CA 
76. Dr. Michael Hunkapiller, Pacific Biosciences, Menlo Park, CA 
77. Dr. Stanley Fields, Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 
78. Dr. Stephen Quake, Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 
79. Dr. James Haber, Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Tufts University, Boston, MA 
80. Dr. Richard Lifton, Department of Genetics, Yale University, New Haven, CT 
81. Dr. Eric Topol, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 
82. Dr. Stephen Friend, Sage Bionetworks, Seattle, WA 
83. Dr. David Goldstein, Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy, Duke University, Durham, NC 
84. Dr. Gabor Marth, Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 
85. Dr. Stuart Orkin, Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 
86. Dr. Stephen Scherer, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada 
87. Dr. Matthew Porteus, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 
88. Dr. Richard Lifton, Department of Genetics, Yale University, New Haven, CT 
89. Dr. Robert Waterston, Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 
90. Dr. Dan Bachrach, Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, WA 
91. Dr. Fyodor Urnov, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 
92. Dr. Bruce Lahn, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 
93. Dr. Eric Topol, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 
94. Dr. Charles Cantor, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 
95. Dr. Daniel MacArthur, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 
96. Dr. Mark Daly, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 
97. Dr. Stephen Kingsmore, Rady Children’s Institute for Genomic Medicine, San Diego, CA 
98. Dr. Richard Gibbs, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 
99. Dr. Alexander Suh, Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University, New York, NY 
100. Dr. Jonathan Pritchard, Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL