What is the basic unit of heredity known as?

The basic unit of heredity is known as a gene. Genes are segments of DNA that contain the instructions for building proteins, which are essential for various functions in the body. They play a crucial role in determining an organism's traits and characteristics, as they carry the genetic information passed from parents to offspring. Each gene can influence specific traits, such as eye color, height, or susceptibility to certain diseases, making them fundamental to the study of genetics and heredity.

While chromosomes are also important as they are structures that organize and hold genes, the term "gene" specifically refers to the units that carry hereditary information. Proteins are products made by genes but do not represent the units of heredity themselves, and cells are the basic structural and functional units of living organisms rather than the units of heredity.