What is the difference between homozygous and heterozygous?

Humans contain two copies of each gene, one from the father and one from the mother, which sometimes are referred to as the alleles of a gene. If a mutation occurs in just one copy of the gene then that individual is considered heterozygous. read more

Homozygous means that both copies of a gene or locus match while heterozygous means that the copies do not match. Two dominant alleles (AA) or two recessive alleles (aa) are homozygous. One dominant allele and one recessive allele (Aa) is heterozygous. read more

Homozygous vs Heterozygous Before understanding the difference between homozygous and heterozygous, a simple introduction about these would make it convenient. The inherited genes from the parental chromosomes control all the characters or traits of animals, plants, and all other living beings. read more