Extended data:
Genetic variation refers to the difference of DNA level among different individuals in the same gene pool, also known as "molecular variation", and it is also a qualitative or quantitative description of genetic differences among individuals of the same species. Heredity and variation are common phenomena in biology, and they are also the basis of species formation and biological evolution.
There are always more or less differences between parents and offspring, and between individuals of offspring, which is the phenomenon of biological variation. Some biological variations are heritable while others are not.
Genetic variation refers to the variation that an organism can pass on to its offspring, including gene recombination, gene mutation and chromosome variation. This variation is caused by the change of genetic material. Non-genetic variation is caused by external factors such as light and water, and will not be passed on to future generations.
From June 5438 to February 2022, Nature, an internationally renowned academic journal, recently published a series of gene research papers, saying that in a multi-pedigree genome-wide association studies (GWAS) involving nearly 3.4 million people, researchers found nearly 4,000 gene associations related to smoking and drinking behavior.
basic concept
The phenomenon that biological parents can produce offspring similar to themselves is called heredity. The basis of genetic material is deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Parents pass on their genetic material DNA to their offspring, and their genetic traits and species remain relatively stable. The reason why life can continue from generation to generation is mainly due to the inheritance of genetic material from generation to generation in the biological process, which makes the offspring have similar characteristics to the previous generation.
However, between parents and offspring, and between individuals of offspring, it is absolutely not exactly the same, that is to say, there are always more or less differences, which is called variation.
Heredity refers to the similarity between parents and children, and variation refers to the differences between parents and children. The inheritance and variation of organisms are realized through reproduction and development.