: random changes in gene frequency especially in small populations when leading to preservation or extinction of particular genes
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebThat genetic drift may partly explain why infection with the original omicron provides little protection against reinfection with its variants. Aidin Vaziri, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 July 2022 The researchers could tell the changes were adaptive rather than just genetic drift. Doug Johnson, Ars Technica, 21 Mar. 2022 Perhaps in groups like mammals, which have small population sizes, a rearrangement could randomly spread through what’s known as genetic drift, Rokhsar suggests.Quanta Magazine, 2 Feb. 2022 The random rise or fall of gene variants in a population is known as genetic drift.Quanta Magazine, 8 Dec. 2020 Many of the conservation herds overseen directly by the Interior Department have 400 or fewer animals — leaving them prone to problems of inbreeding and genetic drift that reduce environmental adaptability.Washington Post, 3 Nov. 2019 In a growing population, chance effects, known more formally in evolutionary theory as genetic drift, can become more powerful than natural selection.Quanta Magazine, 2 Aug. 2013 Just print the precise vaccine required at thousands of locations across the country, adjusting the design to account for genetic drift. Andrew Hessel, Ars Technica, 20 June 2019 The new study suggests the DNA disparity, not uncommon in small island populations, is a clear case of genetic drift: Chance determined which genes got passed to subsequent generations. Bridget Alex, Discover Magazine, 1 Jan. 2019 See More
Word History
First Known Use
1945, in the meaning defined above
Medical Definition
genetic drift
noun
: random changes in gene frequency especially in small populations when leading to preservation or extinction of particular genes