What is the Difference Between Genetics and Heredity?

Jun 28, 2021

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Science is all about precision. Two things may seem the same at first glance, but we see that nuance makes them different when we dive deeper. This is the case with the difference between genetics and heredity.

We often see genetics and heredity used almost interchangeably. For example, one teacher may teach a genetics unit, while another will teach a heredity unit. However, the material covered in each unit is virtually the same.

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The Difference Between Genetics and Heredity

So, what is the difference between genetics and heredity? Genetics is the study of heredity, including the variation of inherited traits. Heredity is the process of passing traits from parents to offspring. This seems needlessly complicated, but it results from how our language has evolved over the years.

Heredity is a much older word than genetics. Etymologists, people who study the history of words, estimate that the word heredity first appeared in the 1530s from either French or Latin origins. However, it wasn’t used as a scientific word until 1863. Herbert Spencer, an English biologist, used it to describe his work on the inheritance of traits. Heredity was a common interest at the time because just two years later, Mendel was working on his study of the heredity of pea plants.

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Perhaps the biggest difference between genetics and heredity is the age of the words. William Bateson, another English biologist, was the first person to use the word genetics to describe Mendel’s work. Four years later, Wilhelm Johannsen, a Danish botanist and fellow Mendel-supporter, used the word gene to describe the units of heredity Mendel had discovered. Both genetics and gene come from the Greek root genos, which means birth.

So, heredity is the process of passing along genetic information, and genetics is the study of that process. The difference between these two terms is an example of the precision scientists use to describe the world around them.

Are You Teaching Genetics?

Click on the image to check out my question-and-answer activity to help students learn about genetics and heredity. Students are given links to reputable resources to answer questions that will build their background knowledge on genetics.

Helping Students Remember What They Learn

Once students have learned and processed the information about genetics and heredity, it is time to strengthen their new neural connections. Neurons that fire together wire together, and we want our students’ brains wired to remember what they learned. The best way to achieve this is repeated practice.

You can require repeated practice in your classroom by having quick quizzes at the beginning or end of each class period. Ask students about topics they learned about over the past few days. Being forced to remember the information will make it easier for them to remember the information later. You don’t have to grade or even collect these quizzes. The act of trying to answer the questions and hearing the right answers will build your students’ neural networks around genetics and heredity.

You can also encourage your students to study with flashcards. Toward the end of each unit, give your students flashcards that review all of the main information they learned. Give them time in class to practice with the flashcards in class and assign flashcard practice as homework. Just a few minutes of practice a day will make a huge difference in how much they remember about genetics and heredity for the final test. This might be the most helpful part of your lesson plans because your students will see the benefits of flashcards and hopefully start using them as a tool in other classes.