Common Genetic Traits
Genetics plays a huge role in who you are! Let's look at how some common traits are inherited through dominant and recessive genes. Each trait shows different letter combinations representing the possible genetic codes.
Freckles follow a simple pattern where F is dominant (causes freckles) and f is recessive. If you have FF or Ff, you'll have freckles. Only people with ff don't have freckles. Similar patterns apply to hairline shape, where H represents dominant straight hairlines and h represents recessive widow's peak.
Blood type works differently with multiple alleles. A and B are co-dominant, while O is recessive. This creates combinations like AA, AO (both type A), BB, BO (both type B), AB (type AB), and OO (type O). Meanwhile, hair texture follows dominance patterns with straight or curly variants.
Did You Know? Color blindness is linked to the X chromosome, making it an X-linked trait. The notation Xc represents the color-blind allele. Since males have XY chromosomes, they need only one Xc to be color-blind, while females need two $X^cX^c$, making it much more common in males!