Ifyou’ve heard someone tell you something like, “You are acopy ofyour mother,” you should know that this isafalse statement. Infact, we(especially women) are more like our fathers, and not our mothers. Besides, there isatheory that afather’s lifestyle before the conception ofthe baby, including the food heeats and how hefeels, are the basis ofthe future health ofthe baby. This article will tell you about the traits that are inherited from the father and which are from the mother.
Bright Side wants you toremember that even ifyou have good genes, you should still maintain ahealthy lifestyle. Because, inthe end, your lifestyle isthe key factor tohow you will look and feel.
Most ofthe time, children inherit the shape ofthe tip oftheir nose, the area around their lips, the size oftheir cheekbones, and the corners oftheir eyes. These are the key areas highlighted during facial recognition, and people who have similar-looking areas that wementioned above, will appear almost identical.
Mother’s genes are usually50% ofachild’s DNA, and father’s genes are the other 50%. However, male genes are much more aggressive than female genes, that’s why they are usually more prominent. So, there are usually40% active female genes and60% active male genes.
Apregnant woman’s body identifies the fetus asapartially alien body. Inorder tosave the baby, ithas tofind peace with the aggressive genes from the father (sometimes, atthe cost ofher own genes). However, itisstill possible tofigure out which traits achild can inherit from their father and which they get from their mother.
Sex
The sex ofthe future baby depends onthe father. From their mother, ababy always receives the X-chromosome and from father either anX-chromosome (which means itwill beagirl) oraY-chromosome (which means itwill beaboy).
Ifaman has alot ofbrothers inhis family, hewill have more sons and ifhehas alot ofsisters, hewill have more daughters. Only some men have arelatively equal number ofX- and Y-chromosomes intheir sperm and they are equally likely tohave boys orgirls.
Y-chromosomes have fewer genes than X-chromosomes and some ofthem are responsible for the development ofmale genitals. This iswhy aboy ismore likely tolook like his mother. When itcomes togirls, they receive X-chromosomes from both parents, soit’s impossible topredict what they will look like.
Intelligence
The genes responsible for intelligence are contained inthe X-chromosome. This iswhy sons inherit their intelligence from their mothers. Daughters receive their intelligence from both parents. However, only upto60% ofamother’s intelligence isinherited, the rest isreceived over the course oftheir lives— nothing can replace hard work.
Inclination for mental illness
With age, the quality ofsperm decreases. This iswhy elderly men can pass onmutated genes totheir children. This increases the risk ofdeveloping mental illnesses, autism, hyperactivity, orbipolar disorder. Also, children born tofathers who are over 45years old ormore are more likely tohave learning difficulties.
And men who were infertile and the conception was done artificially, often have sons with the same problem.
Inclination tobeoverweight
The inclination tobeoverweight ortobefit isinherited genetically. Some people’s weight and waist measurements are based ongenes about 25-80% ofthe time. People who try tocombat extra weight often inherit itfrom their parents. Insituations like these, itisreally hard tolose the extra pounds. But even inthis case, areasonable diet and physical activity will bebeneficial.
The inclination tobefit oroverweight can beequally inherited from either parent, but the inclination tobefat isinherited more often than the inclination tobefit.
The weight ofachild depends mostly ontheir mother. Overweight mothers tend tohave overweight and big babies. Itdoesn’t depend onhow much afather weighs, achild will bethin ifamother isthin. And ifamother isoverweight, her child may carry extra weight right after birth.
Eye color
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©Georges Biard / Wikimedia Commons,
©CC BY-SA 3.0
Brown eye color isnot adominant gene, like weused tothink. Actually, eye color isthe result of8different genes. This explains why sometimes kids born toblue eyed parents can beborn with green, hazel, orbrown eyes. Itjust depends onhow those genes collaborate.
Dimples
Dimples are adominant trait. Ifatleast one ofthe parents has dimples, it’s likely that the child will have them too.
Curly hair
Curly hair isreally beautiful and many mothers dream ofhaving achild with curly hair. But, despite the fact that curly hair isadominant trait, even ifone ofthe parents hasit, itdoesn’t mean the child will have this hair.
The simple system islike this:
- Ifboth parents have curly hair, the child will have curly hair too.
- Ifboth parents have straight hair, the child will have straight hair.
- Ifone ofthe parents has curly hair and the other one has straight hair, the child will have wavy hair.
Bonus: How topredict what your baby will look like
Look atthe family photos ofboth parents. Pay attention tothe traits that are found inmost relatives (acrooked nose, curly hair, dark eye color). These traits are dominant and itishighly likely that your future baby will have them too.
Which ofyour parents doyou take after? Maybe your child amazed you with anunusual eye color orcurly hair? Tellus inthe comment section below.
Please note: This article was updated in August 2022 to correct source material and factual inaccuracies.
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