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Have you ever thought about which characteristics children inherit from their father and which from their mother?
- There are traits linked to the X or Y chromosome: the latter can only be inherited from fathers.
- There are things that do not depend at all on the gender of the parents.
- Having children at an older age is also a risk factor for men.
For some reason, it’s a lot of fun to wonder which parent, grandparent, or even more distant ancestor a baby or toddler resembles. Even if two chubby, fluffy babies always remember more than any adult of parent or grandparent age, and if this year’s head-to-head teenager is unrecognizable next year… We just love ourselves, our partner or they Characteristics of our beloved family members to discover the faces of the little ones and their temperament in their behavior.
When it comes to inheritance, We would assume that both parents contribute exactly the same amount to the joint, adding the same amount to the genetic mix that ultimately determines the external and internal characteristics of the unborn child, but in reality it is so
The extent to which our parents’ genes influence our characteristics varies from case to case.
After all, the nature of heritage itself is diverse! For example, there is the question of dominant genes: Some characteristics (such as dark eyes, freckles or curly hair) are more dominant because they are inherited via a so-called dominant gene. So if one parent has it, there is a good chance that he will pass it on to his offspring. Other traits that are inherited through so-called recessive genes are only passed on to the child if both parents have them. And there are also traits that are linked to the X or Y chromosome: the latter can only be inherited from fathers.
We’ve already written about the traits we inherit from our mothers, and now let’s talk about the ones our fathers have a greater influence on!
Our father and our greatness
Many factors influence how tall we grow as adults. In addition to genetic determination (it’s good to know that 700 different gene variants play a role in this alone), lifestyle also plays a major role: with a correct, balanced diet, we can reach our genetically determined height potential until adulthood, but also with children. Making the most of it If you don’t have access to enough nutrient-dense foods, you’re not sure you’ll be able to achieve this. Apparently it doesn’t matter what part of the world we grow up in! However, if we only look at genetic determination, fathers certainly play a larger role: they inherit a gene that strongly determines height. Of course, this does not mean that the unborn child will be as tall as his father, regardless of gender, but it does mean
The children of a tall father and a short mother are more likely to be tall than short.
Our father and our gender
We know many stories (be it from history, literature or everyday life) in which a male member of a couple is “dissatisfied” with his partner because she “could not bear him a son”. Fortunately, society’s higher regard for boys is, albeit slowly, fading from public thought, and biology bears this out
The gender of the unborn child does not even depend on the mother!
Men are responsible for determining the biological sex of the baby. There are 23 chromosomes in sperm cells, of which the 23rd, the so-called sex chromosome, can be X- or Y-shaped, on average in a half-half distribution if fertilization occurs with a sperm cell that has an X chromosome contains , then a girl will be born, if with a sperm cell containing a Y, then a boy will be born, therefore the name of the unborn child depends, on the one hand, on chance and, on the other hand, on other factors influencing the chromosome ratio of the father’s gametes.
The researchers also found that the sex ratio in families usually follows the pattern of the paternal branch. For example, if a man has more male siblings, his own children are more likely to be boys (it is important to note that this is far from certain!); If you had more sisters, you were more likely to have daughters. However, this connection does not apply to women.
Our fathers and our mental health
Genetics also plays a major role in the chemical processes of the brain: hereditary factors play a role in the development of mental disorders with a share of 10-20%, but at the same time many other factors also influence mental health.. A lesser known fact is exactly that
The father’s age is of great importance for a child’s later mental health.
The later a man becomes a father, the less high-quality sperm he is able to produce, which means that older fathers can pass on genes with mutations to their children, which can lead to mental illness or psychological problems (such as hyperactivity, bipolar disorder) . Children of parents over 45 are more likely to have learning difficulties and possibly suicidal tendencies. While concerns about having children at an older age are usually related to women’s age, in reality men’s age can be at least as important.
Our father and the Y chromosome
Boys can only inherit their Y chromosome from their father, meaning they inherit all of the genes on the chromosome, including traits such as sperm production and other exclusively male traits. This also means that any disorders caused by mutations in the genes on the Y chromosome are also taken into account. There aren’t many of these because the Y chromosome doesn’t contain many genes, but they include ear hypertrichosis (a condition in which the outer ear has more hair than usual) and club toes.
Our father and our personality
Some personality traits such as intelligence, introverted or extroverted personality and temperament also have a genetic component and therefore can be partially inherited. Studies of twins have shown that some personality traits can be 30-60% genetic and can be largely inherited from the father.
At the same time, environmental factors also have a major influence on what a person’s personality structure will ultimately look like.
For example, if we have a calm, balanced father type and have become such adults ourselves, it may not only be because we inherited his temperament from him, but also because we grew up in a balanced, calm environment.
Our father and our fat storage
Our bodies contain two types of fat. We use so-called brown fat for energy, but white fat is stored in excess in our bodies, so too much of it can cause health problems such as obesity and heart disease. Researchers have shown that the amount of brown fat we produce is inherited from our mother, while the storage of white fat is inherited from our father. This means that paternal genes are more likely to contribute to fat storage.
But as with many characteristics, environmental factors also play a major role here. So if someone has an overweight father, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you too will suffer the same fate, as our lifestyle plays a huge role in our health regardless of what it is. We inherit genes from our parents.
Our father and our newborn face
It often happens that relatives clap their hands when they look at a newborn: “Well, that’s the child’s father!” This is often the case with babies who no longer resemble their father at all as they get older. For a long time, an evolutionary reason for the phenomenon was suspected: researchers assumed that it developed this way because the fact that the newborn resembles the father confirms that he is the father of the child, thus ensuring that that this is not the case. Leave the family alone. However, recent studies have shown that this is not the case: although it often seems as if the baby looks more like the father, this is not necessarily the case. Rather, when we focus on the father’s facial features, our expectations deceive us and tend to notice them in the little one too. . (The phenomenon is similar to when we are convinced of a child that its mother has spat until we also meet the other parent.) Babies actually carry the external characteristics of both parents. Interestingly, this was also found in another related study
The more time fathers spend with their children, the more they feel like themselves.
Our parents and us
“When I was little and smart and nice and pretty, they always knew what I looked like… Ever since I’m big and bumpy and bumpy and stupid, they just sit there and sigh at who that kid hit.” Eva Janikovszky Who did this child hit? In his book, he brilliantly shows how the environment’s perception of which family member a child resembles changes. The smaller, sweeter and more adorable it is, the more we prefer to discover our own characteristics in it, but during puberty it is easier to recognize it than someone else. There are many characteristics that babies inherit from their fathers and many that they owe to their mothers, and there are also many characteristics that are shaped much more by environment than by genetics. No matter what they look like, our baby, toddler or teenager is a unique and unrepeatable combination of parents who can achieve their best potential when raised in a loving and supportive environment.
Do you like reading about heredity? We recommend you this previous article.
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