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Observe and Wonder
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How Mutations Affect Traits
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Common Misconceptions
- Misconception: All genes determine visible traits
Some genes affect things we can see like hair color, but many genes control things we can’t see easily, like how fast your body breaks down food. - Misconception: Dominant genes are the most common
Just because a gene is dominant doesn’t mean it shows up more often in a population. Some dominant traits are actually rare. - Misconception: If parents don’t have a trait, their children can’t have it
Parents can carry a hidden (recessive) gene and still pass it on to their children, even if they don’t show the trait themselves. - Misconception: Mutations are always bad
Mutations can be harmful, but they can also be helpful or make no difference at all. - Misconception: Every mutation causes a noticeable change
Some mutations don’t change how the body works at all. They may happen in places that don’t affect important proteins. - Misconception: One gene controls one trait on its own
Many traits are controlled by more than one gene working together. For example, your height is influenced by several genes. - Misconception: Each cell has different DNA
Almost every cell in your body has the exact same DNA, even though different cells use different parts of that DNA. - Misconception: Helpful traits always become common
Even if a trait is helpful, it doesn’t always spread to everyone. Chance, environment, and other factors affect which traits are passed on. - Misconception: Mutations only happen from outside damage
Mutations can be caused by things like radiation, but they also happen naturally when cells copy DNA. - Misconception: One gene makes one protein
One gene can be used in different ways to make different proteins depending on how the cell reads it.
How Reproductions Affects Genetic Variation
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Common Misconceptions
- Misconception: All traits are inherited directly from parents
Some traits come straight from parents, but others result from a mix of genetics and environmental influences like diet or exercise. - Misconception: Every trait is a perfect 50-50 blend from both parents
Traits don’t always show up as a perfect mix. Dominant and recessive alleles can make one parent’s trait more visible. - Misconception: Siblings from the same parents are genetically identical
Unless they are identical twins, siblings have different combinations of genes because of the random way genes are passed down. - Misconception: Genes only affect appearance
Genes don’t just determine how you look. They can also affect your health, behavior, and how your body functions. - Misconception: Dominant traits are always more common
Just because a trait is dominant doesn’t mean it’s widespread. For example, having six fingers is a dominant trait, but it’s very rare. - Misconception: If parents don’t show a trait, their kids can’t either
Some traits are recessive and can skip generations. Two parents who carry the gene might have a child who shows the trait. - Misconception: Random means any genes are possible
“Random” refers to how gene copies are shuffled and sorted during reproduction. Offspring only inherit combinations of genes from their parents, not just anything. - Misconception: Two alleles mean two different genes
Each person gets one version (allele) of a gene from each parent. These alleles are different versions of the same gene, not entirely separate genes. - Misconception: All genetic differences are visible
Not all gene changes show up as physical traits. Some are silent or only affect things inside the body, like how a cell works.