People usually expect resemblance to show up early. The baby looks like this parent or that one, and everyone settles the debate within weeks. What often gets missed is how much change happens quietly ...

In Mendelian inheritance patterns, you receive one version of a gene, called an allele, from each parent. These alleles can be dominant or recessive. Non-Mendelian genetics don’t completely follow ...

Hair genetics can come from either parent, and multiple genes can determine hair traits, such as color, texture, and growth. Genes can also affect hair loss. Although it can run in families, this is ...

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a group of genetic blood disorders. A person inherits SCD from their parents when they inherit two copies of the sickle cell gene, one from each parent. This hereditary ...

This educational film from 1970 traces the inheritance of traits such as sex, eye color, height, and weight, showing the role of chromosomes and genes in determining their development.

A random mutation in a gene can alter its function and bring about a new characteristic that can pass down for many generations, but this may not be the only way that organisms can inherit a trait.