Gametes

(n) 1. The specialized cells produced by organisms for sexual reproduction. In isogamous species, the gametes produced by the sexes are of equal size; in anisogamous species, the gametes are of different sizes (with the producers of smaller gametes considered as male). In most metazoan animals, gametes are produced by meiosis and are haploid.

Gap theory

(np) 1. A theory that assigns God as the explanation for anything that science cannot (yet) completely explain -- such as the origin of life on Earth, or the "cause" of certain quantum events. The problem with gap theory, from a theological point of view, is that God keeps getting smaller and smaller as science explains more things -- a few hundred years ago, God was the cause of weather and disease and any number of other day-to-day events, but now He can act only in the distant past or in ways indistiguishable from the actions of random processes. Also God of the Gaps theory.

Gene

(n) 1. The fundamental physical and functional unit of heredity which carries information from generation to the next. [den., from Suzuki et al., 1989]

Genetic Algorithms

(np) 1. Computational systems based upon an implementation of natural selection as an algorithm for classification or optimization.

Genetic drift

(np) 1. Evolution(1) due to the fact that the transmission of alleles from one generation to the next is essentially a process of sampling from a finite set. The actual base pair sequences within the genome of a species may undergo mostly unexpressed variations without the application of natural selection. Genetic drift underlies the premise of the neutral theory.

Genetics

(n) 1. The branch of science which deals with elucidating the attributes and mechanisms of heredity in living systems. On Earth, this involves research into RNA and DNA. [den., science]

Genotype

(n) 1. The heritable information contained in an individual. [den., science]

God Of The Gaps

(n) A deity that is employed by its believers whenever they don't understand something. Some TAEs cling to that god, and they see with horror that the more you understand, the less gaps are left for it to live in, so they prefer understanding as little as possible.

Gosse Assertion, The

(np) 1. The belief that a creator created the universe and life by fiat, but with the "appearance of age". Rightly rejected by most theologically astute persons as libelous or blasphemous. Gosse was the author of "Omphalos" (navel), where this assertion was given its fullest treatment.

Gosse Hypothesis, The

(np) see Gosse Assertion.