germ line

the line of cells that gives rise to the reproductive cells—the ova and spermatozoa—and is thereby continued between successive generations of organisms. Germ-line mutations, unlike somatic mutations (i.e., mutations in body cells), are transmitted to offspring and may predispose the offspring to disease or other traits.

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Psychology term of the day

May 8th 2024

axiom

n. in logic and philosophy, a universally accepted proposition that is not capable of proof or disproof. An axiom can be used as the starting point for a chain of deductive reasoning. Also called postulate. [from Greek axioma, “worthy thing”] —axiomatic adj.