• Question: How do different genes get passed down from both parents

    Asked by ava to Lisa, David, Fiana, Kieran, Oliver, Remsha on 11 Nov 2018.
    • Photo: Remsha Afzal

      Remsha Afzal answered on 11 Nov 2018: last edited 11 Nov 2018 3:24 pm

      Hello! Good question! We have genetic material coming from both parents because of how the egg and sperm combine to form a new cell which will then keep on multiplying to become a new living being months later. Sperm cells and eggs cells are specialized to carry DNA in such a way so that the new individual will have half of the egg’s DNA and half of the sperm’s!

      So the egg comes from the mum and has 23 chromosomes (chromosomes contain genes which code for different traits), and the sperm comes from the dad which also has 23 chromosomes. Together they combine, and the new cell will have 46 chromosomes, which is how many chromosomes every healthy human being has (sometimes if you have more or less chromosomes that can cause certain disorders like Downs Syndrome).

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