Book 2, Question 87
Why Do We Look Like Our Parents?
Maybe you have your mom's smile, or your dad's curly hair. Genes are like recipe cards that get passed down in families. You get a mix, not a copy.
From the book
Page from A Million Whys Book 2
More fun facts
- You inherit your genes from your parents. That is why someone might say you have your mother's smile.
- Genes carry a special code called DNA that helps decide what you look like.
- In 1866, Gregor Mendel showed that pea plants pass traits to their young by precise rules.
- In 1910, Thomas Hunt Morgan showed that genes sit on chromosomes.
- In 1952, Martha Chase and Alfred Hershey showed that DNA carries traits from parent to child.
- We inherit traits like eye color, skin color, and height, but not things like our hairstyle!
Sources: KidsHealth (Nemours), Science News Explores, BBC
Questions kids ask
Why do I not look exactly like my parents?
You get a mix of genes from both parents, so you share some traits with each of them.