At school, we all learn about genes and how they are inherited equally from our mother and father. However, a recent study reveals that what we have been taught may not be entirely accurate. This article will explain to you why genetically we all look a little more like our parents.
We want to share a study with our readers that will show that our bond with our parents is really special.
Generally Speaking, We Are Still 50% Our Mother And 50% Our Father
The endless arguments about whether a child is more like their father or their mother can now come to a peaceful end.
Each of us inherits half of our genes from our father and half of them from our mother. People usually have 22 paired non-sex chromosomes and 2 sex chromosomes. The chromosomes in the pairs are simply copies of each other: one received from the father and the other from the mother.
However, the last 2 chromosomes determine the sex of the baby, and the father is responsible for passing on the gene, making the child biologically male or female.
Our appearance depends on which genes from our parents were dominant and which were recessive. Dominant genes are stronger and recessive genes are weaker. For example, the gene for brown eyes is dominant and the gene for blue or green eyes is recessive.
This means that if you have brown eyes and your husband has blue eyes, it is likely that your child will have brown eyes because the mother’s genes in that case are stronger.
However, The Father’s Genes Are More Expressive
Despite the enormous influence of the mother on the appearance of the child, recent research shows that mammals including humans, use more DNA from the parents during mutation, the process that shapes us into who we are.
The researchers tested the connection between DNA expression and mutations. Several hundred genes showed “the imbalance in favor of the father,” said James Crowley, an author of the study.
Although the process has yet to be observed in humans, the academics call the study results “an exceptional research discovery that opens the door to an entirely new area of exploration in human genetics.”
Hence, Keep An Eye On Your Dad’s Health Condition
Since the father’s genes are more powerful, it makes children more predisposed to diseases acquired from the father than from the mother. “If it is inherited from the mother, the gene would not be expressed as if it were inherited from the father,” said Pardo-Manuel de Villena, co-author of the study. “So the same bad mutation would have different disease consequences if it were inherited from the mother or the father.”
Thus, by observing the state of your father’s health, you will be able to predict your own possible illnesses in the future.
Did you know this characteristic of our genes? Who are you more like, your father or your mother?
Preview photo credit LCLA/Broadimage/Broad Image/East News, Anthony Behar/Sipa USA/East News source Sipa USA
