Seven things that are genetically passed on to children only from fathers. The secrets of genetics: what children inherit from their parents How are the parents' genes distributed in a child
Genetics is a science not only interesting, but also convenient. Researches of scientists have proved that a lot of things in us do not depend on us, but are inherited. Genes, there's nothing you can do.
dominant and recessive
It's no secret that our appearance is made up of a number of traits that are determined by heredity. You can talk about the color of the skin, hair, eyes, height, physique, and so on.
Most genes have two or more variations, called alleles. They can be dominant and recessive.
Complete dominance of one allele is extremely rare, including due to the indirect influence of other genes. Also, the appearance of the baby is affected by multiple allelism observed in a number of genes.
Therefore, scientists only talk about a higher probability of the appearance in children of external signs caused by the dominant alleles of the parents, but nothing more.
For example, dark hair color is dominant over light hair. If both parents have black or blond hair, then the child will be dark-haired.
Exceptions are possible in rare cases if there were, for example, blonds in the family from both parents. If both parents are owners of blond hair, then the likelihood that the baby will be a brunette increases. Curly hair is more likely to be inherited because it is dominant. As for eye color, dark colors are also strong: black, brown, dark green.
Such features of appearance as dimples on the cheeks or chin dominate. In a union where at least one partner has dimples, they are likely to be passed on to the younger generation. Almost all prominent features of appearance are strong. It can be a big, long nose or a hump on it, protruding ears, thick eyebrows, plump lips.
Will the girl be obedient?
Whether a daughter will become a neat girl who loves dolls, or will grow up like a boy, playing “Cossack robbers”, is largely determined by maternal instinct, which, as it turned out, depends on two genes.
Research conducted by the Human Genom Organization (HUGO) shocked the scientific community when they presented evidence that the instinct of motherhood is transmitted exclusively through the male line. That is why scientists argue that, according to the behavioral model, girls are more likely to be like paternal grandmothers than like birth mothers.
Inherited aggressiveness
Russian scientists in the Human Genome project were tasked with determining whether aggressiveness, irritability, activity and sociability are genetically inherited traits, or are formed in the process of upbringing. We studied the behavior of twin children aged 7 to 12 months and their genetic relationship with the type of behavior of their parents.
It turned out that the first three traits of temperament are hereditary in nature, but sociability is 90% formed in a social environment. For example, if one of the parents is prone to aggression, then with a probability of 94% this will happen again in the baby.
Alpine genes
Genetics can explain not only external signs, but even the national characteristics of different peoples. So, in the Sherpa genome there is an allele of the EPAS1 gene, which increases the presence of hemoglobin in the blood, which explains their adaptability to life in high mountain conditions. No other nation has this adaptation, but exactly the same allele was found in the genome of Denisovans - people who are neither Neanderthals nor Homo Sapiens. Probably, many millennia ago, Denisovans interbred with the common ancestors of the Chinese and Sherpas. Subsequently, the Chinese living on the plains lost this allele as unnecessary, while the Sherpas retained it.
Genes, sulfur and sweat
Genes are even responsible for how much a person sweats, and what kind of earwax he has. There are two versions of the ABCC11 gene that are common in the human population. Those of us who have at least one of two copies of the dominant version of the gene produce liquid earwax, while those of us who have two copies of the recessive version have solid earwax. Also, the ABCC11 gene is responsible for the production of proteins that remove sweat from the pores in the armpits. People with hard earwax don't sweat like that, so they don't have odor problems or need to wear deodorant all the time.
sleep gene
The sleep of an average person is 7-8 hours a day, however, if there is a mutation in the hDEC2 gene that regulates the sleep-wake cycle, the need for sleep can be reduced to 4 hours. Carriers of this mutation often achieve more in life and career due to extra time.
speech gene
The FOXP2 gene plays an important role in the formation of the speech apparatus in humans. When this was found out, geneticists conducted an experiment to introduce the FOXP2 gene into chimpanzees, in the hope that the monkey would speak. But nothing of the kind happened - the zone responsible for the functions of speech in humans, in chimpanzees, regulates the vestibular apparatus. The ability to climb trees in the course of evolution for the monkey turned out to be much more important than the development of verbal communication skills.
happiness gene
For the past decade, genetics has been struggling to prove that a happy life requires the appropriate genes, or rather, the so-called 5-HTTLPR gene, which is responsible for transporting serotonin (the "hormone of happiness").
In the last century, this theory would have been considered crazy, but today, when the genes responsible for baldness, longevity or falling in love have already been discovered, nothing seems impossible anymore.
To prove their hypothesis, scientists at the London Medical School and School of Economics interviewed several thousand people. As a result, volunteers who had two copies of the happiness gene from both parents turned out to be optimistic and not prone to any kind of depression people. The results of the study were published by Jan-Emmanuel de Neve in the Journal of Human Genetics. At the same time, the scientist stressed that other “happy genes” could soon be found.
Nevertheless, if for some reason you have a bad mood for a long time, you should not rely too much on your body and blame mother nature for “depriving you of happiness”. Scientists argue that human happiness depends on many factors: “If you are unlucky, you lost your job or broke up with loved ones, then this will be a much stronger source of unhappiness, no matter how many genes you have,” said de Neve .
Genes and diseases
Genes also influence which diseases a person may be prone to. In total, about 3500 genetic diseases have been described to date, and for half of them a specific culprit gene has been identified, its structure, types of disorders and mutations are known.
Longevity
The longevity gene was discovered by scientists at Harvard Medical School in Massachusetts back in 2001. The longevity gene is actually a sequence of 10 genes that may hold the secret to a long life.
During the implementation of the project, the genes of 137 100-year-old people, their brothers and sisters aged 91 to 109 were studied. All subjects found "chromosome 4", and scientists believe that it contains up to 10 genes that affect health and life expectancy.
These genes, scientists believe, allow their carriers to successfully fight cancer, heart disease and dementia, and some other diseases.
figure type
Genes are also responsible for the type of figure. Thus, a tendency to obesity often occurs in people who have a defect in the FTO gene. This gene disrupts the balance of the "hunger hormone" ghrelin, which leads to a violation of appetite and an innate desire to eat more than necessary. Understanding this process gives hope for the creation of a drug that reduces the concentration of ghrelin in the body.
eye color
It is traditionally believed that eye color is determined by heredity. Light eyes are caused by a mutation in the OCA2 gene. The EYCL1 gene on chromosome 19 is responsible for the blue or green color; for brown - EYCL2; for brown or blue - EYCL3 chromosome 15. In addition, the OCA2, SLC24A4, TYR genes are associated with eye color.
As early as the end of the 19th century, there was a hypothesis that human ancestors had exceptionally dark eyes. Hans Eiberg, a contemporary Danish scientist at the University of Copenhagen, has carried out scientific studies confirming and developing this idea. According to research results, the OSA2 gene responsible for light eye shades, whose mutations turn off the standard color, appeared only in the Mesolithic period (10,000-6,000 BC). Hans has been collecting evidence since 1996 and concluded that OCA2 regulates the production of melanin in the body, and any changes in the gene reduce this ability and disrupt its functioning, making the eyes blue.
The professor also claims that all the blue-eyed inhabitants of the Earth have common ancestors, tk. this gene is inherited. However, different forms of the same gene, alleles, are always in a state of competition, and the darker color always “wins”, as a result of which parents with blue and brown eyes will have brown-eyed children, and only a blue-eyed couple can have a baby with cold eyes.
Blood type
The blood type of the unborn baby is the most predictable of all hereditary traits. Everything is quite simple. Knowing the blood type of the parents, you can tell what it will be in the child. So, if both partners have 1 blood type, then their baby will have a similar one. With the interaction of 1 and 2, 2 and 2 blood groups, children can inherit one of these two options. Absolutely any blood type is possible in a child whose parents are 2 and 3 groups.
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If you hear a statement like “You are all / all in your mother” addressed to you, then know that this is a deliberately false statement. In fact, we (especially women) are more like our fathers than our mothers. In addition, there is an assumption that the father's lifestyle until the moment of conception of the child, his nutrition and well-being lay the foundation for the health of the unborn baby. About what signs are transmitted to the child from the father, and which ones from the mother, read in this article.
Most often, children inherit from their parents the shape of the tip of the nose, the area around the lips, the size of the cheekbones, the corners of the eyes and the shape of the chin. In face recognition, these areas are key, so people with the same areas seem to us strikingly similar and even identical.
But the area between the eyebrows often differs between parents and their children.
Daughter Reese Witherspoon inherited blue eyes, the shape of her cheekbones, chin and tip of her nose from her mother.
The sex of the future baby depends on the father. From the mother, the child always receives an X chromosome, and from the father either the X chromosome too (and then there will be a girl), or the Y chromosome (and then there will be a boy).
Moreover, if a man has many brothers in the family, then he will have more sons, and if there are many sisters, then, accordingly, daughters. Only in a part of men, the sperm contains an approximately equal ratio of X- and Y-chromosomes, and both boys and girls are born with the same probability.
The Y chromosome contains many fewer genes than the X chromosome, and some of them are responsible for the formation of male reproductive organs and the production of sperm. Therefore, the boy will mostly receive the features of his appearance from his mother and will look like her. As for girls, they will receive X chromosomes from both parents, so it will not be possible to predict their appearance in advance.
Dental condition
If dad is a fairly frequent visitor to dental clinics, then most likely the child will also often visit the dentist. Although the size and shape of the teeth, as well as the structural features of the jaw, can be inherited from either parent, it is more often the father's genes that are dominant.
Therefore, if the dad has crooked teeth, then the child will most likely have a malocclusion.
Intelligence
As men age, sperm quality deteriorates. Because of this, older people can pass on mutated genes to their children. This increases the risk of a child developing mental illness, autism, hyperactivity, bipolar disorder. Also, children born to fathers aged 45 or older may be suicidal and have learning difficulties.
At any age, the representatives of the stronger sex, suffering from coronary heart disease, pass on a tendency to it to their sons. And men who suffered from infertility, and therefore the conception was carried out artificially, also pass on to their son a predisposition to this problem.
susceptibility to hemophilia and autism
One of the most famous patients with hemophilia is Tsarevich Alexei. On the left in the photo is his great-grandmother, Queen Victoria of England, who was a carrier of the hemophilia gene and passed it on to some of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
There are diseases that are transmitted from the mother, but appear only in boys (in girls, the likelihood of these diseases is negligible). This happens if a woman is a carrier of the X chromosome with a defective gene and it is this chromosome that she passes on to her son. Unlike mom, the boy has only one X chromosome, so he has nothing to compensate for the mutated gene.
Maternally transmitted diseases include hemophilia (blood clotting disorder) and Duchenne muscular dystrophy (progressive muscle weakness). Autism is most pronounced when it is passed from mother to son.
Tendency to corpulence
The tendency to be overweight or, conversely, slim is transmitted genetically. In some people, the weight and width of the waist is 25% due to genetics, in most cases - 40%. In people struggling with obesity, these figures can reach 75-80%, and then getting rid of extra pounds becomes problematic. Although in this case, a reasonable diet and exercise will give results.
The tendency to thinness or obesity is transmitted approximately equally from both parents. At the same time, the predisposition to harmony is transmitted to a lesser extent than the tendency to be overweight.
but only the mother influences the weight of the child at birth. No matter how large the mass of the father is, the child will be born slender if the woman is thin. But if the mother is obese, then the baby from birth may have a “reserve stock”.
Growth
The growth of the child is more influenced by fathers than mothers. In tall men, children tend to be taller at birth. In general, 60 to 80% of a child's growth is determined by his father and mother, and the rest is the result of his nutrition, lifestyle and health. In addition, not all children of the same parents have the same height: as a rule, the younger ones are shorter than the older ones.
There are 2 formulas for determining the growth of an unborn child.
- If you have a boy, add dad's height to mom's height and then another 13 cm. Divide the sum by 2 - and you will find out how tall your son will be. If you have a girl, then add dad's height to mom's height and subtract 13 cm. Divide the result by 2 - and you will get the approximate height of your daughter.
- Write down the height of the girl at 18 months, and the boy at 2 years old and multiply the data by 2. This height (plus or minus 10 cm) will be your child in adulthood.
eye color
Genetics is an interesting thing. So, it would seem that if a child receives 23 chromosomes from the mother and 23 from the father, then the genetic influence on the formation of the child should be equivalent? But no, it turns out, and this was proved by scientists from the University of North Carolina. The scientists crossed three groups of mice, resulting in nine types of mice.
When they grew up, the degree of gene expression was assessed, and it turned out that the genes received from parents manifest themselves unevenly, the expression ratio: 60% of paternal genes and 40% of maternal ones, that is, paternal genes are stronger than maternal ones, their children inherit more actively, and, as a result, show paternal genes. Today I bring to your attention some information about daddy's genes.
Struggle at the level of the embryo
David Haig, a scientist at Harvard University, has shown that maternal and paternal genes are expressed differently already in the embryo. Paternal genes (sometimes even to the detriment of the mother's health) force the fetus to extract the maximum amount of nutrients and energy from the mother's body, that is, the paternal genes are "very interested" in the child receiving as many maternal resources as possible and fighting for them very aggressively. And scientists from Cornell University came to the conclusion that such a unique and exclusively female organ as the placenta is built thanks to the genes of the father.genetic mutations
The scientists also found that the most important mutations occur under the influence of paternal rather than maternal genes. Therefore, a gene mutation inherited from the father will manifest itself in the child faster than a mutation inherited from the mother. That is, if a child received a "sick" gene from the mother, it is likely to be less active than the gene inherited from the father. Gender of the child
Only the father can influence the gender of the unborn baby. You probably remember from a school biology course that babies get a combination of chromosomes from both parents - an X chromosome from mom and an XY chromosome from dad. And whether a girl or a boy is born depends on which paternal cell has merged with the mother. If the paternal X chromosome fuses with the maternal egg, a girl will be born, if Y, then a boy. As they say, dads rule, and this is without options. Intelligent Genes
But take heart here, daddies: the level of intelligence, as evidenced by the results of scientific research, is mainly determined by maternal genes. That is, daddies are less likely to inherit the genes responsible for intelligence, because the genes that are responsible for mental abilities are connected to the X chromosome, which in women exists in two "copies" and in men in one. Therefore, if you decide to give birth to a future Nobel laureate, you need to look not for a dad, but for a mother with super brains, because scientists even suggest that the genes received from the dad of a currently living Nobel laureate can automatically “deactivate” in the heir. Problem genes
Unfortunately, dads pass on to their heirs not only, for example, a stunning red hair color or a masculine chin and a perfectly shaped nose, but also a tendency to heart disease (this applies mainly to sons), crooked teeth (and in this case only something that can console that if mom's teeth need braces, and dad has a Hollywood smile, then the child is unlikely to need a dentist). And if, alas, infertility is inherited, that is, if a man became a father through IVF, then his son, unfortunately, is also likely to face the problem of infertility. If a man became a dad at a respectable age, then there is a risk of passing on a load of mental disorders to the child. A similar problem is the problem of late fatherhood, as men's DNA changes with age, unlike women, whose DNA does not change with age. Color, height, facial symmetry
All this is most often determined by paternal genes. And also lovely dimples on the cheeks, bright red (burning black, delicate wheaten) curls, the shape of the lips and ... sneezing in the sun - these are all gifts from dad. This disease causes heart problems at an early age. The attending physician of a 40-year-old man, after looking at his tests, suspected that high cholesterol could be genetically determined.
He learned that some of his relatives had died before the age of 50.
Thanks to the analysis, it was possible to save the couple's 3-year-old daughter, who was supposed to undergo eye surgery the other day. It turned out that she inherited this disease, and the operation was canceled.
Both father and daughter received individual treatment regimens that will allow them to live much longer than their relatives who suffered from hypercholesterolemia.
For the rest of their lives, they will have to adhere to a strict diet and take certain medications. But their life is out of danger!
Here are seven more genetic traits that children mostly inherit from their fathers:
1. Risk of heart disease
Scientists from the University of Leicester found that men who carry a certain type of chromosome are 50% more likely to suffer from a disease that affects the coronary artery. They can pass this trait on to their sons.
2. Mental illness
There are mental disorders that are most often transmitted to the child from the father, especially if he became a parent at a fairly late age. These diseases include schizophrenia and ADHD.
Such a risk is possible in the case of late fathers, as their DNA changes with age.
Women, in comparison with men, are born with the entire set of eggs. The DNA they pass on to their children does not change over time.
3. Crooked teeth
Children can also inherit dental problems from their fathers. This is because male genes, which are responsible for jaw shape and dental health, are much stronger than female ones. Because of them, the child can get crooked teeth or weak enamel.
4. Problems with infertility
Men who have poor sperm quality may pass the same problem on to their sons. So say scientists in a study published in the journal Human Reproduction.
Even if a couple did manage to have a baby through IVF, sons are likely to struggle with infertility just like their fathers.
5. Boy or girl?
Yes, it is the father's genes that determine who will be born to a couple - a boy or a girl. In order to predict the sex of an unborn child, you need to look at the father's family tree, according to a study published in Science Daily.
If the father's sperm carries an X chromosome, then combined with the mother's X chromosome, a girl is obtained. And vice versa - if the father's sperm is charged with a Y-chromosome, there will be a boy.
6. Eye color
In truth, the genes of both parents play a role in what eye color a child gets. But most often, the facial features and eye color of his father are transmitted to him - his genes dominate over the genes of a woman.
7. Growth
The growth of a child really depends largely on genes, especially paternal ones. If the father is tall, then the children will also be tall, maybe not as tall as the father, if the mother is short, but nonetheless.
We hope that your children will inherit only the best from you! What traits and characteristics did you get from your parents?
What is inherited from parents?
Text: Evgenia Keda, consultant - Alexander Kim, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Honored Professor of Moscow State University
One day, the famous English writer Bernard Shaw was approached with an unusual request - a fan urged him to make her a child. “Just imagine, the baby will be as beautiful as me and as smart as you!” she dreamed. “Madame,” Shaw sighed, “what if it turns out the other way around?”
Of course, this is a historical anecdote. But surely modern science can predict with a high probability what exactly is inherited from parents, what a son or daughter will inherit - the ability to do mathematics or music.
What is inherited: the role of chromosomes
From the school curriculum in biology, we remember exactly that the sex of the child is determined by the man. If the egg is fertilized by a sperm carrying the X chromosome, a girl is born, if the Y chromosome is a boy.
It has been proven that X chromosomes carry genes that are more responsible for appearance: the shape of the eyebrows, facial contours, skin and hair color. Therefore, it is logical to assume that boys with one such chromosome are more likely to inherit their mother's appearance. But girls who received it from both parents can equally be similar to both their mother and father.
Expert commentary: “Actually, the X chromosome that boys get is just one of the 46 found in the genetic code. And in all 46 chromosomes there are genes responsible for a variety of traits. So boys don't necessarily look like their mother."
With a high probability are inherited: height, weight, fingerprints, predisposition to depression.
With a small probability are inherited: shyness, temperament, memory, food addictions.
What is inherited: does the strong win?
In the same textbook it is clearly written: genes are divided into dominant (strong) and recessive (weak). And every person equally has both.
For example, the brown-eyed gene is dominant and the light-eyed gene is recessive. Brown-eyed parents are more likely to have the same dark-eyed child. However, one should not think that the appearance of a blue-eyed descendant in such a family is completely excluded. Both mom and dad can carry the recessive light-eyed gene and pass it on at the time of conception. Chances are, of course, small, but they are. Moreover, not one gene, but a whole group, is responsible for each trait on the part of the parent, and the combinations here are multivariate.
Strong, most often inherited genes include dark and curly hair, large facial features, a massive chin, a hooked nose, and short fingers. For two blonds, the little one is likely to be blond. But the brunette and the blond have dark blond (the average color between mom and dad). Sometimes, quite unexpectedly, the traits of distant relatives are inherited by the child. There is nothing surprising in this; probably, in previous generations, these genes lost in an unequal struggle, but here they turned out to be dominant and won.
Does the baby look nothing like you? Take a closer look. Perhaps he has your facial expressions: he also wrinkles his forehead when he thinks, protrudes his lip when he is offended. Tell me, is he copying you? Yes and no. It has been observed that blind children who have never seen their relatives nevertheless quite accurately repeat their gestures and facial expressions.
Probably, many have noticed that the same parents have the first child - the spitting image of dad, the second - unusually similar to mom, and the third - a copy of grandfather. In this case, we are talking about the splitting of genes. The environment and family are the same, but the combinations of genes received by siblings are completely different.
Expert commentary: “Parents themselves are unlikely to be able to figure out what will be inherited by the child. It is not at all necessary that dark-haired mothers and fathers will have the same dark-haired child, and fair-haired - fair-haired. In this case, the genealogy of a person, the history of ancestors on both sides, has a great influence. A specialist geneticist will help to figure it out, but he will also have to seriously delve into the family tree. ”
What is inherited: the appearance of the child
Growth is also difficult to predict. If the parents are very tall, the baby, most likely, will also reach the Kolomna verst. Dad is big and mom is petite? The child will probably stop at the average. However, proper nutrition also has a big impact. and sufficient sleep of the child, and active sports, and even climate.
Expert commentary: “Human height is determined not only by genes, but also by many other factors. An important role is played by the environment in which the parents themselves grew up. Equally important are the conditions for the development of the child himself.
What is inherited: the nature of the child
But it's all about looks. And the character? It certainly combines heredity and upbringing. An adopted child often takes on the traits of the parents who took him into the family. So try to show your best qualities in communicating with offspring. It is passed down to the inheritance, of course, not the nature of the child. a type of nervous system. For example, irascibility and irritability may be due to a weak type of nervous system, its inability to withstand even the most common stimuli. But if parents from the birth of the crumbs pay attention to this, the problem can be solved.
Passed on by inheritance and the ability to draw, dance, music, sports, and even taste and color preferences. But why then do they say: “Nature rests on the children of a genius”? Yes, talent can be inherited, but it still needs to be developed. And brilliant, enthusiastic parents often have too little time for their children.
Expert commentary: “Character traits are determined by the interaction of genes with the type of nervous system and the influence of society. If one of the parents has pronounced abilities, for example, in art, most likely, the children will inherit them. But deprive a potential Raphael of the opportunity to pick up a pencil and paint, and the talent will be buried in the ground. Any talent first of all needs attention and development.”
10 traits that are inherited
What a person will be depends on the environment and on heredity. Genetics affects the development of intelligence. height, weight, eye color, abilities. But there are other, less obvious influences of genes.
stress in children. with stress in parents - it happens to all people of different ages. And how the younger generation copes with it depends on genetics. Stress sits in the hippocampus (the part of the brain that is responsible for emotions and the transition from short-term memory to long-term memory). When a person experiences a stressful situation, their hippocampus increases or decreases. The more risk genes a person has, the more this part of the brain shrinks. And this has a negative effect on the experienced situation. If a person has few risk genes, then stress can affect a person positively. In addition, prenatal memory affects the child's susceptibility to stress. If the mother was prone to stress during pregnancy. then the child will be predisposed to them.
WISH TO TRAVEL
Some people are ready to spend the last money on a dress or shoes, while others are ready to travel. The desire to change places is inherent in the DRD4-7R gene. It is he who regulates the need for a person to travel. And, oddly enough, according to statistics, it is present only in 20% of the population.
It would seem that driving a car is difficult? Just don't hit people and don't crash into other cars. But the ability to drive a car is also related to genetics. The researchers found that driving skills depend on BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), which is responsible for memory, reaction speed and other communication between brain cells.
Bad habits are a problem of society of any nationality. Whether a person will be susceptible to drugs depends on 50% of heredity, to smoking - 75%. Moreover, genes decide 60% whether a person will be addicted to tobacco, and 54% whether he can quit smoking.
VIOLENCE
Aggression in children can be caused by both external factors and heredity. Scientists from Finland conducted a genetic analysis of about 900 criminals and found two genes responsible for aggression. Carriers of this set of genes are prone to violence 13 times more than ordinary people.
Absolutely all people are lazy. Sometimes it is appropriate - after all, we are not robots and we need rest. But some people are more lazy than others. And thanks to genetics. Genes for laziness exist, and this has been proven by scientists. They collected two groups of rats - more active and more passive. And then they found out that they have differences at the genetic level.
The best way to lose weight after childbirth and generally get in shape is the advice of a geneticist. No diets - trust heredity. General weight loss tips do not help everyone, but diets based on genetic characteristics will definitely be effective.
Scientists have found that musical taste is partly formed on the basis of heredity. The musical preferences of people under 50 years of age are influenced by genetics by 55%, and after 50 the figure drops to 40 and the environment has a greater influence.
Maybe love at first sight exists, but it also has an imprint of heredity. The choice of a partner is influenced by a group of MHC genes (major histocompatibility complex). Thanks to him, we choose lovers with the opposite MHC, which gives a better chance of having healthy children.
Children's fears have age gradation. If in infancy the crumbs are afraid to be alone, then after the child goes to school and begins to communicate with a large number of people, he develops social phobias. But some fears can be inherited. Scientists conducted an experiment on mice. With the help of an electric current, they instilled in them a fear of the smell of cherries. Then the experimental mice began to breed, and their offspring were also afraid of cherries from birth.
Sourced from toptenz.net
Genetic diseases that are inherited
How often, after the birth of a child, we hear "The baby has mother's eyes" or "The child has all gone to dad." We are accustomed to the fact that parents genetically transmit their external features, eye and hair color, birthmarks, and even character and habits to the baby. But besides this, parents can pass on to their baby a lot of different genetic diseases. Recently, parents who are serious about planning a pregnancy turn to a geneticist to immediately identify their genetic “potential”. A geneticist can fully demonstrate your genetic health, moreover, genetic analysis can reveal hereditary diseases that you carry from your ancestors, but which have never manifested themselves in the course of your life and the life of your parents. In this article, we will discuss the importance of medical genetic diagnosis, as well as talk about the most common diseases that are inherited.
What is genetic inheritance?
Each gene of our body contains a unique DNA - deoxyribonucleic acid. In addition, each gene carries a kind of code for a particular trait. The genes of the father and mother are paired, while one gene in the pair can be suppressive (dominant), the other suppressed (recessive). If a mother or father carries a pathological gene, then it is necessarily transmitted to the child. Moreover, if only the mother or only the father is the carrier of the diseased gene, then the risk is halved in comparison if both parents carry this diseased gene.
In accordance with the above, if the diseased gene is suppressive, then the child will get a hereditary disease, if the gene is suppressed, then the child will simply be a carrier and will pass it on to his future children. Moreover, if in the future the carrier meets a partner who is also just a carrier, the chance of “rewarding” the child with a diseased gene is already 50%. Therefore, very often some diseases do not manifest themselves for several generations, and then suddenly appear.
In reality, the risk of developing a genetic disease in a child is only 3-5%. However, it is worth noting such factors as poor ecology, poor nutrition, stress, hormonal disorders, etc. – all this can cause a genetic error.
Unfortunately, there are genetic diseases that appear in almost every generation, i.e. always have a suppressive gene. Such diseases include diabetes, psoriasis, obesity, hyper- and hypotension, epilepsy, schizophrenia, atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, etc.
There are also diseases that appear delayed, i.e. not immediately after birth, but after 30-40 years.
Today there are more than 3,000 genetic diseases that are inherited, and very often it is hereditary diseases that lead to miscarriages in the first trimester. 60% of spontaneous miscarriages are due to the hereditary factor. Therefore, many women have been trying to get pregnant for many years, but either it doesn’t work, or the pregnancy always ends in a miscarriage. Long-term examinations do not give any results until the woman turns to a geneticist.
It is worth noting that hereditary diseases can be of different types depending on the type of chromosomes - recessive, dominant, multifactorial, X-chromosomal recessive and chromosomal. Accordingly, the disease will manifest itself under certain conditions, for example, if both hereditary genes are recessive, or, conversely, dominant.
What diseases are inherited?
These are just a few of the diseases we can pass on to our children. Be sure to think about the health of your child and the health of his children, and before you get pregnant and give birth, go through a medical genetic examination.
Medical genetic examination
The examination begins with a consultation with a geneticist - he is interested in your pedigree, which of your relatives, what sickness, he also examines future parents for external signs (some genetic diseases manifest themselves this way).
Prenatal diagnosis may also include genetic testing. Depending on the stage of pregnancy, doctors perform amniocentesis, placentocentesis, cordocentesis, biopsy. Here, either amniotic fluid cells, blood from the umbilical cord, villi or chorionic epithelium are taken for analysis.
Is cancer hereditary?
It is unlikely that there will be a family that has not had deaths from cancer in any generation. This raises a reasonable question - how high is the probability of transmitting this disease to a child? Unfortunately, there is still no answer to this question. Doctors still cannot understand the true nature of the origin and development of this disease, since in addition to hereditary factors, external factors are of great importance, for example, an elementary viral infection or conventional immunostimulants can provoke cell degeneration. It is worth remembering that literally everything can affect the development of this disease - genetic predisposition, ecology, chemical exposure, hormones, viruses, radiation of various kinds (ultraviolet, x-ray, microwaves, etc.), etc. Protect yourself from cancer, in fact until it is possible.
Summarize
The process of genetic testing does not take much time. Your blood is enough for analysis.
Genetic diseases that are inherited. Medical genetic examination
Causes
Our genes tend not only to accumulate information, but also to change it, acquiring new qualities. This is the mutation. It occurs quite rarely, about 1 time in a million cases, and is transmitted to descendants if it occurs in germ cells. For individual genes, the mutation rate is 1:108.
Mutations are a natural process and form the basis of the evolutionary variability of all living beings. They can be helpful and harmful. Some help us to better adapt to the environment and way of life (for example, the opposed thumb), others lead to diseases.
The occurrence of pathologies in the genes is increased by physical, chemical and biological mutagenic factors. Some alkaloids, nitrates, nitrites, some food additives, pesticides, solvents and petroleum products have this property.
Among the physical factors are ionizing and radioactive radiation, ultraviolet rays, excessively high and low temperatures. The biological causes are rubella viruses, measles, antigens, etc.
genetic predisposition
Parents influence us not only by education. It is known that some people are more likely to develop certain diseases than others due to heredity. A genetic predisposition to diseases occurs when one of the relatives has an abnormality in the genes.
The risk of a particular disease in a child depends on his gender, because some diseases are transmitted only through one line. It also depends on the race of the person and on the degree of relationship with the patient.
If a child is born to a person with a mutation, then the chance of inheriting the disease will be 50%. The gene may well not show itself in any way, being recessive, and in the case of marriage with a healthy person, its chances of being passed on to descendants will be already 25%. However, if the spouse also owns such a recessive gene, the chances of its manifestation in descendants will again increase to 50%.
How to identify the disease?
The genetic center will help to detect the disease or predisposition to it in time. Usually this is in all major cities. Before taking tests, a consultation with a doctor is held to find out what health problems are observed in relatives.
Medico-genetic examination is carried out by taking blood for analysis. The sample is carefully examined in the laboratory for any abnormalities. Expectant parents usually attend such consultations after pregnancy. However, it is worth coming to the genetic center during its planning.
Hereditary diseases seriously affect the mental and physical health of the child, affect life expectancy. Most of them are difficult to treat, and their manifestation is only corrected by medical means. Therefore, it is better to prepare for this even before conceiving a baby.
Down syndrome
One of the most common genetic diseases is Down syndrome. It occurs in 13 cases out of 10,000. This is an anomaly in which a person has not 46, but 47 chromosomes. The syndrome can be diagnosed immediately at birth.
Among the main symptoms are a flattened face, raised corners of the eyes, a short neck, and a lack of muscle tone. The auricles are usually small, the incision of the eyes is oblique, the irregular shape of the skull.
In sick children, concomitant disorders and diseases are observed - pneumonia, SARS, etc. Exacerbations may occur, for example, hearing loss, vision loss, hypothyroidism, heart disease. With Downism, mental development is slow and often remains at the level of seven years.
Constant work, special exercises and preparations significantly improve the situation. There are many cases when people with a similar syndrome could well lead an independent life, find a job and achieve professional success.
Hemophilia
A rare hereditary disease that affects men. Occurs once in 10,000 cases. Hemophilia is not treated and occurs as a result of a change in one gene on the sex X chromosome. Women are only carriers of the disease.
The main characteristic is the absence of a protein that is responsible for blood clotting. In this case, even a minor injury causes bleeding that is not easy to stop. Sometimes it manifests itself only the next day after the bruise.
Queen Victoria of England was a carrier of hemophilia. She passed on the disease to many of her descendants, including Tsarevich Alexei, the son of Tsar Nicholas II. Thanks to her, the disease began to be called royal or Victorian.
Angelman syndrome
The disease is often called Happy Doll Syndrome or Parsley Syndrome, as patients have frequent outbursts of laughter and smiles, chaotic hand movements. With this anomaly, a violation of sleep and mental development is characteristic.
The syndrome occurs once in 10,000 cases due to the absence of certain genes in the long arm of the 15th chromosome. Angelman's disease develops only if the genes are missing from the chromosome inherited from the mother. When the same genes are missing from the paternal chromosome, Prader-Willi syndrome occurs.
The disease cannot be cured completely, but it is possible to alleviate the manifestation of symptoms. For this, physical procedures and massages are carried out. Patients do not become completely independent, but during treatment they can serve themselves.
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Secrets of genetics: what children inherit from their parents
Now, if it were possible to sort out parental genes during pregnancy! Good ones - take them, bad ones like potato noses - discard them. And yet&hellip How to live without secrets and the ability to create your own life, regardless of even genes?
The famous American geneticist Robert Plomin said: Each of us is an absolutely unique spiritual and genetic experiment that will never happen again. This cannot but flatter and cause a desire to pass on their best genetic uniqueness to future offspring. Let's figure out what exactly our children can inherit from us, how to properly develop their hereditary abilities.
My light, mirror, tell me!
With everything related to the appearance of a child, the math is simple. There are two types of genes - dominant and recessive. The first type neutralizes the effect of the second. That is, if dad's eyes are brown, and mom's are blue, then, most likely, the baby will go to dad with the color of the eyes! Dominant traits of genetics also include dark skin, freckles, a round face, dimples on the chin and cheeks, thick eyebrows, long eyelashes, a hooked nose, plump lips, and so on & hellip If both dad and mom are carriers of a recessive trait, for example, blue and gray eyes, then the winner will be determined in the course of a fair fight. Unfortunately, the outcome of this fight cannot be predicted.
This is interesting! If there were no red-haired relatives in the family, and then, for no apparent reason, a red-haired baby is born, do not immediately remember the joke about the neighbor. Nature makes exceptions!
Geniuses are not born!
According to Richard Nisbett, professor of social psychology at the University of Michigan, the IQ value depends on heredity by less than 50%. That is, no one will guarantee that the genes of brilliant parents will be inherited by their offspring. And if, nevertheless, they are transmitted, then it is not a fact that they will manifest themselves: the influence of the environment in which the child is brought up is too great. The environment, by the way, is divided into two types: family-wide (makes family members look like each other) and individual (makes family members look different from each other).
Wednesday and IQ
Numerous studies show that in childhood, the general family environment has the greatest influence on the child's intelligence. Starting from preadolescence, the influence of genetics and individual environment increases significantly. That is why in early childhood communication with a child is of great importance, even if the baby himself does not yet know how to talk.
This is interesting! Women who exercise during pregnancy are more likely to have a gifted baby! Breastfeeding also stimulates an increase in intelligence quotient (by about six units).
legacy talent
Pythagoras was right when he said: Not every tree can carve Mercury. The converse is also true: even the most unique genes can simply wither and wither if a person gets into an inadequate environment. Scientists insist that each of us has genes for some kind of giftedness. The main thing is to provide them with the right soil for growth. The famous German musician Johann Sebastian Bach had 10 children, and they all played music. But Bach is one!
This is interesting! According to the conclusions of scientists, the creative abilities of a person depend least of all on heredity. That is, every person has the opportunity to discover in himself any abilities and develop them, regardless of whether his parents were artists or not.
character building
If character were inherited, then sisters and brothers in behavior would be like each other like two drops of water, right? Congenital shyness or the makings of a leader from the cradle - all this, of course, happens in life. But neither the first nor the second quality is an unchanging constant for the rest of your life. For example, the famous comedian Jim Carrey admitted: I know it's hard to believe, but in my youth I was extremely timid and shy. To madness. The most terrible year for me was my first year at the university, when I was an absolute outsider and no one, I repeat, no one even wanted to talk to me. If it weren't for painstaking work on myself, on my character, I'm not sure if I could have done anything in this life.
Accept and love your child for who they are. And do not forget that the genes of a quiet grandfather are not a sentence at all.
This is interesting! The period of intrauterine development affects the character of a person. If at this time mommy surrounds the baby with good mood and warmth, talks to him, and even better - sings, then the child, therefore, will be born more harmonious.
Health and heredity
Scientists have long confirmed the existence of hereditary diseases (they include, for example, manic syndrome, schizophrenia, dementia and mental retardation). Such diseases are caused by various chromosomal and gene mutations. This is bad news. But there is also a good one: a hereditary predisposition to a certain disease does not always develop into a disease. Geneticists say that under favorable conditions, a mutated gene may not show its aggressiveness. It is important to remember that a healthy lifestyle is the best prevention! This law is also valid for cases where parents have good health. Even with such a seemingly ideal heredity, the baby's health can be undermined if you do not follow his lifestyle.
