Explaining Mendel's theories within an example (haircolor).

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George Johonn Mendel, was a great scientist who lived from

1822 to 1884. At an early age he began experimenting with plants

by growing different varieties of garden peas. He developed a theory

of heredity, which is the foundation of human genetic transmission

even today.

Using Mendel's theory I can explain my own hair color and how

I came to inherit it. I have black hair. How I got it has everything to

do with my genes. A gene is a complicated segment of a DNA

molecule, which is an intricate part of a single cell - the building

block of life itself. For every gene I got from my father I have one

that I got from my mother, even though most people argue that I

look just like my mother. This is because there are two different

types of genes, dominant and recessive. Dominant genes are

stronger then recessive genes.

Mendel has a law that states that

some characteristics are predominant. These dominant genes take

precedence over recessive genes whenever they are present.

Recessive genes, being then the weaker of the two, only become a

characteristic when matched with another recessive gene.

Here is how I came to have black hair: My father has black

hair and my mother has blonde hair. Black hair is dominant and

blonde hair is recessive so I have black hair. There is a possibility

that I could have still had blonde hair if my father had a parent who

had blonde hair. (I do not know my grandparents hair colors) Just

like me, my parents each got one gene from their mothers, and one

gene from their fathers that would determine their hair color. This is

referring to genotype. Genotype describes the genes an individual

posses whether they are visible or not.