eli5: if you inherit 50% of your genes from your father and 50% from your mother, what stops you from getting two of the same gene, and missing one? also why do siblings look different?

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eli5: if you inherit 50% of your genes from your father and 50% from your mother, what stops you from getting two of the same gene, and missing one? also why do siblings look different?

In: Biology

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Anonymous 0 Comments

Each gene is a recopy for making a protein. If you get two recopies for the same protein that is no issue as the cell will only make as much of the protein as it needs. And if one gene is damaged somehow that does not matter as you have a spare one.

There are some effects you get from this though. For example the gene for the brown colour in your eyes can be missing or weak. If you are missing the gene entirely you end up with blue eyes. But if you have only one gene, and this happens to be a weak variant of the gene, you can end up with green eyes as the blue and brown colours mix. But if you have a strong brown gene or two of them then you will get brown eyes.

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