Genetics Question

[koko_99_2001]

If it was one of my current students, it'd be more like:

hut on fnx wokd fo me...

And that would be after she asked me how to spell several different words...numerous times...

[Damar]

I remember when I was in 6th grade we did a genetics wheel and identified dominant and recessive genes with a number of different traits.  I think I had a freakishly large amount of recessive traits listed.  Blue eyes, left handed, I could do the tongue roll thing, and I could completely flip my tongue.  I think the only dominant I had was my sandy brown hair.  So, I'm a mutant is I guess what I'm saying...

As for the original question, I believe that genes that lead to the stereotypical concept of "Asian" appearance (eye color, eye folds, straight black hair) tend to be dominant, so they would be likely to show in children.  That said, though, I'm sure your appearance is fine.  You've got to be happy with your own appearance as it doesn't define you as a person.  It's just window dressing.  Your girlfriend is obviously happy with how you look, if you're talking about having kids, so that counts for something.  Besides, having kids isn't about which parent they look like, or even what they look like at all.  You're talking about caring for someone enough that you and they want to bring another human being into existence to share your life and your love.  That kind of transcends genetics and appearance.  It's about opening your life to someone new and leading them forward, guiding them through the world, watching them grow and have experiences of their own.  Whether they look like you or your girlfriend, the love and the journey is what is ultimately important.

[snabbott]

Like!

[waltzdancing]

Very true.

[koko_99_2001]

*Two thumbs up*

[The Hero]

so i ran us through one of those baby maker things i git this

[Jafar]

Those baby maker things are just shams. All they do is produce photoshop nightmares.

[The Hero]

this  seems OK

[MangoMercury]

Pretty sure that eyes should be higher up than that on a person's face.

Unless their face is melting off the bottom of their head.  But that wouldn't be very conducive to being a person.

[crayauchtin]

This post represents 90% of what I know about biology.

They have a sort of graph thing that can tell you the probability of of certain traits. A Punnett Square, they're called. In a simple one where you're only tracking one gene -- rather than a trait that's determined by multiple genes -- you just draw a square with four boxes inside.

Okay, let's say you've got eye color. We're going to use the letter "B" to represent eye color in this instance. Hazel eyes are dominant ("B") and blue eyes are recessive ("b"). You said, Hero, that you have blue eyes so your genome is going to be "bb" whereas if your girlfriend has hazel eyes she might be "Bb" or she might be "BB". Because Hazel eyes are dominant it could be either.

Back to your box. Let's put her genes on top -- so let's say she's "Bb" -- over the left column write "B" and over the right column write "b". To mark your genes, you're going to write to the left of the box. Next to both rows write "b" (since you're "bb" with blue eyes).
Now, you can write in the letters for each of the smaller boxes inside the square. First take the letter from above and then the letter from the side. You should end up with two boxes that say "Bb" (meaning, hazel eyes) and two that say "bb" (meaning blue eyes).
On the other hand, if your girlfriend doesn't have the recessive gene for blue eyes in her genetic makeup at all, without some type of mutation, there's absolutely no chance that the kid will have blue eyes. So, it's hard to know anything at all without knowing your genomes.

.....I don't get the chance to show off my knowledgings that much so I thought.... brain power, ahoy!

[KQ5Fan]

I'd suggest you get genetic counseling if you're really that interested.

On a side note, I'm half Korean and half white, so this is something I'm familiar with. In my case, I normally get that I look 100% white, but a few people can tell I have some Asian in me (not often). It really just depends. I have some friends who are also half and half and look extremely Asian.  

And then you look at John and Kate's kids, who are only 1/4th Asian, and they ended up looking completely Asian... So again, it really just depends.

[The Hero]

I think it depends on which side is Asian or any other race for that matter it seems father genes tend to win which i am affaird of because i dont want my kids to  look white  i love Asian features and that's what i want my kids to have i have thought of genetic modification  but would that be un ethical ?
 PS i love kate plus 8
 represent

[snabbott]

I think it depends on which side is Asian or any other race for that matter it seems father genes tend to win

For the most part, there's no genetic reason why a father's genes would dominate. Genetically, the only difference between male and female is the X and Y chromosomes (Female is XX; male is XY).

which i am affaird of because i dont want my kids to  look white  i love Asian features and that's what i want my kids to have

Trust me - you're going to love your kids no matter what they look like.

i have thought of genetic modification  but would that be un ethical ?

Probably. In practical terms, it doesn't matter much, because the technology doesn't currently exist.

[KQ5Fan]

And btw, when I say I look white, I really mean more that my facial features don't really look specific to any race, and I'm white skinned, so most people just assume that I'm "white".

[crayauchtin]

If the child is male it's pretty common for the genes to take after the father, if only because of the number of Y-chromosome specific genes. For instance, if the father is color blind and he has a son there's a ridiculously high chance that the son will be color blind as well (and by ridiculously high I mean you might as well get white and black decor for your baby shower sweetie! )

[Fierce Deity]

If the child is male it's pretty common for the genes to take after the father, if only because of the number of Y-chromosome specific genes. For instance, if the father is color blind and he has a son there's a ridiculously high chance that the son will be color blind as well (and by ridiculously high I mean you might as well get white and black decor for your baby shower sweetie! )

I don't think that's true. Color blindness is recessive. It's in the Y chromosome, but the chance of it being shown in an offspring is not likely. Also, many of the cases of color blindness are due to mutations of the X chromosome. The X chromosome holds many of the genes that are responsible for color vision. So if a boy ends up with a defected X chromosome, he's going to have color blindness, but if he passes on his Y chromosome, he's not going to pass on the color blindness.

[snabbott]

There are actually very few Y-linked genes, and I don't think it's possible for a Y-linked trait to be recessive, since there's only one copy.

Color blindness (at least the red/green variety) is X-linked. It's dominant in males because they only have one X chromosome (and thus only one copy of the gene). It's recessive in females because they have two copies, and one good copy can compensate for the defective gene.

Males only get an X chromosome from the mother, so an X-linked trait from the father would not be passed on to a son.

[Fierce Deity]

You're right. I didn't mean to say recessive, but "not likely" is what I meant. I need to brush up on my terminology. It's the red-green color blindness that is linked to the X chromosome, that much I know. There's also color blindness in the blue-yellow variation, but I'm not sure how that is obtained.

[crayauchtin]

Are you guys sure about that? Every friend of mine whose color blind tells me that their father is too. :\

[B'rrr]

yea, but their mother has to be at least a 'carrier' i think?