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Traits you can only inherit from your mother or father
- You have probably been told that you get [insert trait] from your mother or father. But do you, really? Well, there might be some truth behind these claims. We inherit DNA from both our parents, and the traits that are passed on differ, depending on the parent. Indeed, we do get some of these traits from our mothers, and we get others from our fathers. But which is which? Click through this gallery to find out.
© Shutterstock
0 / 30 Fotos
How much do we inherit from each of our parents?
- We inherit two sets of genes: one from our mother and one from our father. The distribution is pretty balanced, but there is a very minor difference between males and females.
© Shutterstock
1 / 30 Fotos
Percentages of inherited genes: females
- Females inherit 50% of their DNA from their mothers and the other 50% from their fathers.
© Shutterstock
2 / 30 Fotos
Percentages of inherited genes: males
- Males on the other hand, inherit around 51% from their mothers and 49% from their fathers.
© Shutterstock
3 / 30 Fotos
Mom's genes
- Now, let's take a look at some of the traits both males and females can inherit from each of their parents, starting with mom.
© Shutterstock
4 / 30 Fotos
Mother: Mitochondrial diseases
- These chronic hereditary disorders are passed on to children when mitochondria DNA is defective or has mutations. While many of these disorders appear at birth, they can develop later in life, too, and affect virtually any part of the human body.
© Shutterstock
5 / 30 Fotos
Mother: Mitochondrial diseases
- It's estimated that about 1 in every 5,000 people have a hereditary mitochondrial disorder. Some examples include Leigh syndrome and Mitochondrial encephalopathy, lactic acidosis and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) syndrome.
© Shutterstock
6 / 30 Fotos
Mother: Eye conditions
- Both eye structure and eyesight are inherited from mothers. Pathological myopia is one of the common eye conditions that can be passed on through genes.
© Shutterstock
7 / 30 Fotos
Mother: Eye conditions
- Color blindness is also a trait inherited from mothers. Males are particularly affected.
© Shutterstock
8 / 30 Fotos
Mother: Physical features
- There are some physical features you can thank (or blame) your mother for. These include your hair color and texture, as well as your hairline.
© Shutterstock
9 / 30 Fotos
Mother: Physical features
- In addition to your hair, your skin, and even varicose veins, can also be inherited from your mother.
© Shutterstock
10 / 30 Fotos
Mother: Menstruation and menopause
- Women can inherit the time when they start menstruating, and when they enter menopause, from their mothers.
© Shutterstock
11 / 30 Fotos
Mother: Intelligence
- While socioeconomic position and education does have an effect on IQ, studies conducted by Glasgow's Medical Research Council Social and Public Health Sciences Unit found that the best predictor of a person's intelligence was their mother's IQ.
© Shutterstock
12 / 30 Fotos
Mother: Sleeping patterns
- Research has found that mothers pass their sleeping patterns to their children. The children of mothers who suffer from insomnia tend to take longer to fall asleep.
© Shutterstock
13 / 30 Fotos
Mother: Aging
- While there is a lack of research on humans to confirm this theory, animal studies suggest that DNA from the mitochondria (which can only be inherited from mothers) may have an impact on the rate of aging.
© Shutterstock
14 / 30 Fotos
Mother: Aging
- A study did however find that environmental factors such as sun exposure, smoking, etc, can cause mitochondrial DNA damage, which is then inherited by the child and can influence traits such as wrinkles and gray hair.
© Shutterstock
15 / 30 Fotos
Mother: Metabolism
- Our ability to gain or lose weight can be inherited from our mothers. Of course, genetics play a small role when compared to lifestyle choices.
© Shutterstock
16 / 30 Fotos
Mother: ADHD
- The children of mothers who have low levels of serotonin are more likely to develop attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) later in life. This is because genes that regulate serotonin production are passed on, and these seem to have an impact on the capacity to focus.
© Shutterstock
17 / 30 Fotos
Mother: Mood
- The corticolimbic system (which includes the amygdala, hippocampus, anterior cingulate cortex, and ventromedial prefrontal cortex) is responsible for regulating emotions and has an impact on disorders such as depression. The structure of the mother's corticolimbic system is more likely to be passed down to daughters than to sons.
© Shutterstock
18 / 30 Fotos
Mother: Temperament
- Mothers can also pass on the genes that impact a child's temperament. A German study concluded: "Individuals who carry a specific type of allele, or alternative form of a gene, are far more likely to be angry than those without this allele."
© Shutterstock
19 / 30 Fotos
Mother: Exercise endurance
- Yes, sporty genes are a thing. Our mitochondrial genome is inherited from our mothers. Mitochondrial DNA plays a role in how the body uses oxygen cells during exercise.
© Shutterstock
20 / 30 Fotos
Mother: Exercise endurance
- A 2005 study found that "a mother's capacity for exercise alone can better predict a child's capacity, than when fathers are taken into account."
© Shutterstock
21 / 30 Fotos
Dad's genes
- Now, let's take a look at some examples of traits that are passed on by fathers.
© Shutterstock
22 / 30 Fotos
Father: Height
- Both parent's height genes are passed on to a child, but the father's IGF genes have a greater influence in the stimulation of growth, and therefore height.
© Shutterstock
23 / 30 Fotos
Father: Dental issues
- From crooked teeth to cavities, you can blame your father's genes for it. This is usually the case when the father has poor dental health.
© Shutterstock
24 / 30 Fotos
Father: Sex
- Fathers essentially determine the child's sex, which is defined by the X and Y chromosomes, namely XX for females and XY for males.
© Shutterstock
25 / 30 Fotos
Father: Sex
- Every egg has an X chromosome and then depending on the chromosome of the father's sperm (X or Y), the embryo will develop into either male or female.
© Shutterstock
26 / 30 Fotos
Father: Y-linked disorders
- Males get their Y sex chromosome from their fathers, so this means Y-linked disorders are inherited from fathers. These include webbed toes and hypertrichosis of the ears (hairy ears).
© Shutterstock
27 / 30 Fotos
Father: Fat storage
- We have two types of fat in our bodies: brown and white. Brown fat is usually used to break down glucose, and inherited from mothers.
© Shutterstock
28 / 30 Fotos
Father: Fat storage
- White fat storage on the other hand, is mostly inherited from our fathers. This type of fat is used for energy, but can accumulate and cause health problems such as heart disease and obesity. Sources: (MedicineNet) (FamilyEducation) (Reader's Digest) (Biologyonline) See also: Childhood obesity: what are the causes and how you can fight it
© Shutterstock
29 / 30 Fotos
Traits you can only inherit from your mother or father
- You have probably been told that you get [insert trait] from your mother or father. But do you, really? Well, there might be some truth behind these claims. We inherit DNA from both our parents, and the traits that are passed on differ, depending on the parent. Indeed, we do get some of these traits from our mothers, and we get others from our fathers. But which is which? Click through this gallery to find out.
© Shutterstock
0 / 30 Fotos
How much do we inherit from each of our parents?
- We inherit two sets of genes: one from our mother and one from our father. The distribution is pretty balanced, but there is a very minor difference between males and females.
© Shutterstock
1 / 30 Fotos
Percentages of inherited genes: females
- Females inherit 50% of their DNA from their mothers and the other 50% from their fathers.
© Shutterstock
2 / 30 Fotos
Percentages of inherited genes: males
- Males on the other hand, inherit around 51% from their mothers and 49% from their fathers.
© Shutterstock
3 / 30 Fotos
Mom's genes
- Now, let's take a look at some of the traits both males and females can inherit from each of their parents, starting with mom.
© Shutterstock
4 / 30 Fotos
Mother: Mitochondrial diseases
- These chronic hereditary disorders are passed on to children when mitochondria DNA is defective or has mutations. While many of these disorders appear at birth, they can develop later in life, too, and affect virtually any part of the human body.
© Shutterstock
5 / 30 Fotos
Mother: Mitochondrial diseases
- It's estimated that about 1 in every 5,000 people have a hereditary mitochondrial disorder. Some examples include Leigh syndrome and Mitochondrial encephalopathy, lactic acidosis and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) syndrome.
© Shutterstock
6 / 30 Fotos
Mother: Eye conditions
- Both eye structure and eyesight are inherited from mothers. Pathological myopia is one of the common eye conditions that can be passed on through genes.
© Shutterstock
7 / 30 Fotos
Mother: Eye conditions
- Color blindness is also a trait inherited from mothers. Males are particularly affected.
© Shutterstock
8 / 30 Fotos
Mother: Physical features
- There are some physical features you can thank (or blame) your mother for. These include your hair color and texture, as well as your hairline.
© Shutterstock
9 / 30 Fotos
Mother: Physical features
- In addition to your hair, your skin, and even varicose veins, can also be inherited from your mother.
© Shutterstock
10 / 30 Fotos
Mother: Menstruation and menopause
- Women can inherit the time when they start menstruating, and when they enter menopause, from their mothers.
© Shutterstock
11 / 30 Fotos
Mother: Intelligence
- While socioeconomic position and education does have an effect on IQ, studies conducted by Glasgow's Medical Research Council Social and Public Health Sciences Unit found that the best predictor of a person's intelligence was their mother's IQ.
© Shutterstock
12 / 30 Fotos
Mother: Sleeping patterns
- Research has found that mothers pass their sleeping patterns to their children. The children of mothers who suffer from insomnia tend to take longer to fall asleep.
© Shutterstock
13 / 30 Fotos
Mother: Aging
- While there is a lack of research on humans to confirm this theory, animal studies suggest that DNA from the mitochondria (which can only be inherited from mothers) may have an impact on the rate of aging.
© Shutterstock
14 / 30 Fotos
Mother: Aging
- A study did however find that environmental factors such as sun exposure, smoking, etc, can cause mitochondrial DNA damage, which is then inherited by the child and can influence traits such as wrinkles and gray hair.
© Shutterstock
15 / 30 Fotos
Mother: Metabolism
- Our ability to gain or lose weight can be inherited from our mothers. Of course, genetics play a small role when compared to lifestyle choices.
© Shutterstock
16 / 30 Fotos
Mother: ADHD
- The children of mothers who have low levels of serotonin are more likely to develop attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) later in life. This is because genes that regulate serotonin production are passed on, and these seem to have an impact on the capacity to focus.
© Shutterstock
17 / 30 Fotos
Mother: Mood
- The corticolimbic system (which includes the amygdala, hippocampus, anterior cingulate cortex, and ventromedial prefrontal cortex) is responsible for regulating emotions and has an impact on disorders such as depression. The structure of the mother's corticolimbic system is more likely to be passed down to daughters than to sons.
© Shutterstock
18 / 30 Fotos
Mother: Temperament
- Mothers can also pass on the genes that impact a child's temperament. A German study concluded: "Individuals who carry a specific type of allele, or alternative form of a gene, are far more likely to be angry than those without this allele."
© Shutterstock
19 / 30 Fotos
Mother: Exercise endurance
- Yes, sporty genes are a thing. Our mitochondrial genome is inherited from our mothers. Mitochondrial DNA plays a role in how the body uses oxygen cells during exercise.
© Shutterstock
20 / 30 Fotos
Mother: Exercise endurance
- A 2005 study found that "a mother's capacity for exercise alone can better predict a child's capacity, than when fathers are taken into account."
© Shutterstock
21 / 30 Fotos
Dad's genes
- Now, let's take a look at some examples of traits that are passed on by fathers.
© Shutterstock
22 / 30 Fotos
Father: Height
- Both parent's height genes are passed on to a child, but the father's IGF genes have a greater influence in the stimulation of growth, and therefore height.
© Shutterstock
23 / 30 Fotos
Father: Dental issues
- From crooked teeth to cavities, you can blame your father's genes for it. This is usually the case when the father has poor dental health.
© Shutterstock
24 / 30 Fotos
Father: Sex
- Fathers essentially determine the child's sex, which is defined by the X and Y chromosomes, namely XX for females and XY for males.
© Shutterstock
25 / 30 Fotos
Father: Sex
- Every egg has an X chromosome and then depending on the chromosome of the father's sperm (X or Y), the embryo will develop into either male or female.
© Shutterstock
26 / 30 Fotos
Father: Y-linked disorders
- Males get their Y sex chromosome from their fathers, so this means Y-linked disorders are inherited from fathers. These include webbed toes and hypertrichosis of the ears (hairy ears).
© Shutterstock
27 / 30 Fotos
Father: Fat storage
- We have two types of fat in our bodies: brown and white. Brown fat is usually used to break down glucose, and inherited from mothers.
© Shutterstock
28 / 30 Fotos
Father: Fat storage
- White fat storage on the other hand, is mostly inherited from our fathers. This type of fat is used for energy, but can accumulate and cause health problems such as heart disease and obesity. Sources: (MedicineNet) (FamilyEducation) (Reader's Digest) (Biologyonline) See also: Childhood obesity: what are the causes and how you can fight it
© Shutterstock
29 / 30 Fotos
Traits you can only inherit from your mother or father
It's all in the genes!
© Shutterstock
You've probably been told that certain traits are inherited from either your mother or your father. But is this really so? Well, there might be some truth behind these claims. We inherit DNA from both our parents, and any traits passed on to offspring differ, depending on the parent. The fact of the matter is we obtain some of these traits from our moms, as we do others from our dads. But which is which?
Click through this gallery to find out.
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