The observation that the amount of DNA does not correlate with the number of genes or the complexity of an organism.
By calibrating the size of living organisms' genomes and inferring the genome sizes of extinct lineages based on fossil evidence.
Defunct copies of genes that arise from gene duplication and may lose their function over time.
Functional DNA contributes to the organism's phenotype, while nonfunctional DNA, like transposable elements, may not have a direct benefit.
Changes in genetics over generations, specifically the information in the genome that continues on through offspring.
They outnumber protein-coding genes and can influence genome size and organization.
It is largely non-coding and not just focused on specific genes.
Deletion biases can lead to a tendency for genomes to lose DNA more easily than they gain it, affecting overall size.
Larger genomes generally lead to larger cell sizes and slower cell division, which can affect metabolic rates and body size.
Changes in genome size, number of chromosomes, arrangement of genes, and the presence of gene families.
It aimed to identify functional elements in the genome, but its criteria for functionality have been criticized as overly broad.
They are sequences of DNA that can move within the genome, contributing to genome size and complexity.
The total amount of DNA in each copy of the genome, which varies significantly across different organisms.
The idea that natural selection shapes most characteristics of organisms to benefit survival and reproduction.
It questions why an onion, which has five times more DNA than humans, needs that much more DNA, challenging assumptions about genome function.
