Genetics and Throwbacks?
I was reading the other day about a South African girl born to white parents. The parents had had black ancestors, and although the parents *looked* white, they still had the black genes in them, and they produced a black child. (This is true-http://www.geocities.com/kempcountrymen/sandralaing.htm My question is, could the same happen with Asian parents producing a black child, or black parents having a white child? I'm guessing it's different. I'm curious to know.
(Just want to say, I am in no way being racist.)
2007-08-01 17:57:16 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
If my memory serves me right, skin color is due to polygenic inheritance and other factors. Polygenic means that you have more than a pair of genes controlling a trait. Usually skin color due to genes is said to be due to about 6 pairs of alleles, and these are probably independent of each other in terms of inheritance. Since they are assumed to have additive effects, the more color genes you have, the darker your skin color. In this scheme, the skin color range could be from Scandinavian white (no color gene) to ebony black (having color genes only). So 2 seemingly white persons may carry a few genes for color; if it so happens that most if not all their color genes are the ones transmitted to the offspring, this combination will cause the child to have darker color than both parents.
2007-08-01 22:32:45 · answer #1 · answered by Dulce D 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I suppose that if the circumstances of ancestry were analogous to the South African girl situation, the outcomes you present could happen.
There is the question of exactly what constitutes a "white" or "black" or "Mongolian" child (there are plenty of people considered "white" or "black" in Asia, so your characterization of Asian as a race is spurious.
2007-08-02 01:05:41 · answer #2 · answered by cattbarf 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
According to the Human Genome Project, all DNA traces back to Africa. Simply meaning you can go from black to anything else not the reverse without ancestry.
2007-08-02 01:07:26 · answer #3 · answered by Ric P 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i think it could happen if both parents have a strong recessive gene of it or something like that, even if the parents look nothing like it
2007-08-02 01:07:24 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Wow... that's really interesting!
I suppose something simular could happen in other race groups, but I'm not sure...
In any case, you get a star from me! :o)
2007-08-02 02:13:15 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
my readings say no
2007-08-02 01:03:19 · answer #6 · answered by david p 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋