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

Later, this theory was combined with genetics to produce mathematical theories for population genetics, leading to the Modern Evolutionary Synthesis.

From Science Daily • Apr. 22, 2024

Scientists involved in the field of population genetics and other related areas were “concerned about the misinterpretation of our findings,” he said, adding that he had scrutinized the manifesto for all references to his field.

From New York Times • Jun. 9, 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

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