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The process by which the genetic code of parents is passed on to their children.

There are certain traits that parents pass on to their children, including eye color, hair color, height, and other physical characteristics. The coding for these traits are contained inside DNA molecules that are present within all human cells. Since the discovery of DNA by James Watson (1928-) in the 1950s, the science of genetics has focused on the study of DNA and the ways in which physical traits are passed on from generation to generation. Within genetics, a special branch of DNA science—called quantitative, or biometrical, genetics— has emerged, which studies the heritability of such traits as intelligence, behavior, and