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January 17, 2003

Strange But True!

  • A weekly column of incidental information, off-the-wall observations and other random facts about the world.
    • By BILL SONES and RICH SONES, Ph.D.
    Special to the Journal

    Q. If genes are supposed to come 50-50 from both parents, why do some of us seem so strongly to take after Mom or Dad?

    A. It's true Mendelian inheritance is basically symmetrical, but don't forget about "sex-linked" genes, on the X chromosome, says University of Wisconsin-Madison medical geneticist Carter Denniston. Females have two X's and males only one. All of a son's X-linked genes come from Mom, whereas a daughter's X-linked genes come equally from both parents. "So that's one possible source of asymmetry."


     
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