|
Genes are found in pairs, just as the chromosomes are. One member of each gene pair is inherited from our mother, while the corresponding member of the gene pair is inherited from our father. Genes are expressed in different ways. Some genes are dominant over others. In other words, not all genes are always working. It depends on the combination of the gene pair inherited from the parents. Genes that are present on the first 22 pairs of chromosomes are said to be "autosomal."
This means that both males and females are equally likely to have this genes. The last pair of chromosomes determine gender. Males have one X and one Y chromosome, while females have two X chromosomes. Therefore, women do not have any of the genes present on the Y, and men have only one copy of genes on the X.
The idea of inheritance was first described by an Austrian monk whose name was Gregor Mendel. Mendel performed experiments on garden peas, to determine patterns of inheritance. These basic patterns are sometimes called "Mendelian" or "traditional" inheritance. The basic patterns of inheritance are: autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive, and X-linked inheritance.
|
