Every human being has 46 chromosomes per cell, 23 identical pairs. Half of yours comes from your mother and the other half from your father. Genetics is the science dealing with heredity.
Every human being has 46 chromosomes per cell, 23 identical pairs. Half of yours comes from your mother and the other half from your father. Genetics is the science dealing with heredity.
Father of genetics
Gregor Mendel was the first person to describe how hereditary characteristics are passed on to descendants. All our hereditary information is fixed in our DNA, the complete set of our genes which is divided amongst our chromosomes.
Brown or blue eyes?
Genes are pieces of DNA which partly decide characteristics such as the colour of your eyes. The chromosome inherited from your father could have the genes for brown eyes but the corresponding chromosome from your mother could have the genes which code for blue eyes. You then inherit your father’s brown eyes because the gene for brown eyes is dominant. Your DNA is made up of about 25,000 genes which in this way decide how your body develops and functions.