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.

---

population genetics Scientific  

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

---

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.

---

Etymology

Origin of population genetics

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

"This really highlights the need for continued investment in understanding African population genetics," added Raju.

From Science Daily • Feb. 8, 2024

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

While the study focuses on population genetics at a regional scale, there are details about a few individuals in the data, too.

From New York Times • Nov. 17, 2021

Into this long-running dispute has now stepped the relatively new discipline of population genetics, which has started using ancient DNA to figure out when people moved where.

From BBC • Dec. 30, 2018

In the early twentieth century, biologists began to study what happens to all the alleles in a population in a field of study known as population genetics.

From Textbooks • Apr. 25, 2013