genetic drift
noun
: random changes in gene frequency especially in small populations when leading to preservation or extinction of particular genes
Examples of genetic drift in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But in species with smaller effective population sizes, natural selection gets weaker because genetic drift — the effect of pure chance on the spread of a mutation — gets stronger.
—
Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 5 Apr. 2023
Dogs were also chosen because breeding practices over the past two centuries led to what scientists call genetic drift, or a loss of genetic diversity within specific breeds.
—Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 21 Feb. 2022
Random genetic drift may seem an odd candidate for a parameter removing variation, but recall that allele frequencies which reaches zero or 100 percent result in loci which are not polymorphic and will remain in that state barring new variation such as mutation or migration.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 17 Sep. 2013
The magnitude of genetic drift as a frequency is inversely proportional to population size.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 13 Sep. 2012
The concept has since been adapted to model stock market fluctuations, population genetics (specifically genetic drift), and neuron firing in the brain, among other applications.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 9 Feb. 2023
Small, isolated groups of Oriental domestics gradually acquired distinctive coat colors and other mutations through a process known as genetic drift, in which traits that are neither beneficial nor maladaptive become fixed in a population.
—Andrew C. Kitchener, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2015
These variants are different from BA.4 and BA.5, but they’re descended from those viruses, the result of genetic drift.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN, 20 Oct. 2022
In the more extreme cases this produces recessive diseases (and because inbreeding reduces effective population and increases the power of random genetic drift deleterious recessives can even fix within a population rather quickly).
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 18 July 2013
Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 5 Apr. 2023
Dogs were also chosen because breeding practices over the past two centuries led to what scientists call genetic drift, or a loss of genetic diversity within specific breeds.
—Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 21 Feb. 2022
Random genetic drift may seem an odd candidate for a parameter removing variation, but recall that allele frequencies which reaches zero or 100 percent result in loci which are not polymorphic and will remain in that state barring new variation such as mutation or migration.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 17 Sep. 2013
The magnitude of genetic drift as a frequency is inversely proportional to population size.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 13 Sep. 2012
The concept has since been adapted to model stock market fluctuations, population genetics (specifically genetic drift), and neuron firing in the brain, among other applications.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 9 Feb. 2023
Small, isolated groups of Oriental domestics gradually acquired distinctive coat colors and other mutations through a process known as genetic drift, in which traits that are neither beneficial nor maladaptive become fixed in a population.
—Andrew C. Kitchener, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2015
These variants are different from BA.4 and BA.5, but they’re descended from those viruses, the result of genetic drift.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN, 20 Oct. 2022
In the more extreme cases this produces recessive diseases (and because inbreeding reduces effective population and increases the power of random genetic drift deleterious recessives can even fix within a population rather quickly).
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 18 July 2013
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'genetic drift.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1945, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near genetic drift
Cite this Entry
“Genetic drift.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/genetic%20drift. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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Medical Definition
genetic drift
noun
: random changes in gene frequency especially in small populations when leading to preservation or extinction of particular genes
More from Merriam-Webster on genetic drift
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about genetic drift
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