population genetics

American  

noun

1. the branch of genetics concerned with the hereditary makeup of populations.

2. the study of changes in gene frequencies in population of organisms and the effects of such changes on evolution and adaptation.

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population genetics Scientific  

1. The scientific study of the inheritance and prevalence of genes in populations, usually using statistical analysis.

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population genetics Cultural  

1. The study of the genetic composition of populations in order to understand the evolutionary forces that select for a particular gene.

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Etymology

Origin of population genetics

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

"There are a variety of factors – the ageing population, genetics and cancer recurring, but the way we live is definitely a factor."

From BBC • Feb. 13, 2025

The question of how and why genetic variation arises and is maintained over long periods of time is of key importance to evolutionary biology, population genetics and conservation biology.

From Science Daily • Nov. 17, 2023

In the early twentieth century, biologists in a field of study known as population genetics began to study how selective forces change a population through changes in allele and genotypic frequencies.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

“We let the data teach us what they’re going to teach us,” said Benjamin Neale, a co-director of the program in medical and population genetics at the Broad Institute in Boston.

From New York Times • Mar. 8, 2022

Their rationale: They say their population genetics study was cultural, not health-related, and therefore did not fall under the jurisdiction of the NEC or the Philippine Health Research Ethics Board.

From Salon • Mar. 4, 2022