AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Genes carry the information that determines your traits (say: trates), which are features or characteristics that are passed on to you-or inherited-from your parents. Each cell in the human body contains about 25, 000 to 35, 000 genes.

Detailed explanation-2: -Traits are inherited characteristics from our parents that are expressed externally in our phenotype. For any given trait, one gene variation (allele) is received from the father and one from the mother. The expression of these alleles determines the phenotype, whether dominant or recessive.

Detailed explanation-3: -But DNA is not your destiny, nor your core being. For building our identity and behaviours, variation in our DNA can play a role and can influence some of our choices one way or another but ultimately DNA is not defining us.

Detailed explanation-4: -Individuals have two copies of each gene, one inherited from each parent. How the two copies interact with each other determines an organism’s characteristics.

Detailed explanation-5: -Genes influence each individual’s behavioral and psychological characteristics, including intellectual ability, personality, and risk for mental illness-all of which have bearing on both parents and children within a family.