transduction
n. C / Un. the process of changing one type of energy or signal into another. In biology, it also describes how a virus can move a piece of DNA from one cell to another.
n. the conversion of one form of energy or signal into another; in molecular biology, the transfer of genetic material from one bacterium to another by a bacteriophage. Often involves the transformation of physical stimuli into electrical signals in sensory systems.
The microphone uses transduction to turn sound into electricity.
In sensory transduction, specialized cells in the retina convert light energy into electrical impulses that the brain can interpret.
The process of genetic transduction allows for the horizontal transfer of DNA between bacterial species, potentially leading to the rapid spread of antibiotic resistance across a population.
1650s, Latin transductionem, form of Latin trānsdūcō (“lead across”). By surface analysis, transduce + -tion.
Blend of transformation + reduction.