Even where children's genes look identical to their parents, their bodies and minds could well differ, influenced by many other factors, including the portions of the parents' DNA that don't code for genes, their environment, and their behavior.
Children never look exactly like one parent because they are not clones of either parent. You get one copy of every gene from each parent, these copies are called alleles. Your physical appearance is determined by the interplay between the products of these alleles. For simple characteristics (those determined by only one gene) sometimes the allele from one parent produces a characteristic (we call this a phenotype) that is dominant to the characteristic produced by the other parent's allele. In this case, the child will have the same characteristic as one parent. However, in most cases, visible characteristics are determined by the interplay between products of dozens or even hundreds of genes. Layer on top of that the effects of the environment (aka even the exact same allele combination will produce different phenotypes in different environments).
This is why even when children look similar to one parent in certain aspects they are not identical. For example, you and your child may both have green eyes but when you look closely the iris patterns are not identical and the color is slightly different.
In equation format
characteristic = alleles from parent 1 + alleles from parent 2 + environment
Explanation:
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Zairafeliciano
Some traits are recessive, and others dominant. This means that 2 people can both carry a recessive gene, that will show in their offspring.
Simplified. X is brown eyes. Y is blue. Blue eyes are recessive.
Person 1 is XY and person 2 is XY
Zairafeliciano
This means that 1 out of 4 children get blue eyes. Even though both parents have brown.
Child 1 XX, brown eyes
Child 2 and 3 XY, brown eyes, carry genetic code for blue
Child 4 YY blue eyes.
This is extremely simplified genetics. In reality there are some 20+ genes that determines eyes color.
But this will explain why children can look nothing like their parents. They get 2 recessive traits that goes back generations.
Zairafeliciano
You get 50/50 dna from each parent. You may not look excatly like your parents although you could look like a mini version of either one or a mix of both or neither one. You may look like Gr. Uncle on Dad’s side or have great grandma’s nose on Mom’s side.
Zairafeliciano
You are blend of both parents dna and there is no set way that it falls together. Usually there are family traits that show. Siblings may or may not look like each other as they all don’t get exactly same dna from both parents one may favor fathers side more or vice versa. Ask elder relations or family friends on both sides who child favors
Zairafeliciano
The DNA in their own cells outside the germ cells (sperm and egg) is not identical to the DNA in their germ cells; they carry DNA that is more diverse, so when a sperm joins an egg there is a unique DNA set that overlaps but is not identical to their own. Your granddad’s nose DNA might be in the particular sperm cell that forms your DNA; your parent was a carrier of the germ cell not necessarily the recipient in their non-germ cells of that set of nose DNA.
Answers & Comments
Answer:
Even where children's genes look identical to their parents, their bodies and minds could well differ, influenced by many other factors, including the portions of the parents' DNA that don't code for genes, their environment, and their behavior.
Explanation:
Answer:
Children never look exactly like one parent because they are not clones of either parent. You get one copy of every gene from each parent, these copies are called alleles. Your physical appearance is determined by the interplay between the products of these alleles. For simple characteristics (those determined by only one gene) sometimes the allele from one parent produces a characteristic (we call this a phenotype) that is dominant to the characteristic produced by the other parent's allele. In this case, the child will have the same characteristic as one parent. However, in most cases, visible characteristics are determined by the interplay between products of dozens or even hundreds of genes. Layer on top of that the effects of the environment (aka even the exact same allele combination will produce different phenotypes in different environments).
This is why even when children look similar to one parent in certain aspects they are not identical. For example, you and your child may both have green eyes but when you look closely the iris patterns are not identical and the color is slightly different.
In equation format
characteristic = alleles from parent 1 + alleles from parent 2 + environment
Explanation:
Simplified. X is brown eyes. Y is blue. Blue eyes are recessive.
Person 1 is XY and person 2 is XY
Child 1 XX, brown eyes
Child 2 and 3 XY, brown eyes, carry genetic code for blue
Child 4 YY blue eyes.
This is extremely simplified genetics. In reality there are some 20+ genes that determines eyes color.
But this will explain why children can look nothing like their parents. They get 2 recessive traits that goes back generations.