SAEDNEWS: Hair color, eye color, height, and even whether hair is thick or thin are influenced not just by genes, but also by the environment and even parents’ mental images of their child.
The complexity of genes is far greater than we often imagine. Research shows that there are no strictly dominant or recessive genes for hair color, eye color, or appearance.
A baby’s sex is determined at conception, when the sperm and egg unite. The mother’s egg always carries an X chromosome, while the father’s sperm carries either an X or a Y chromosome. If the father’s X chromosome fertilizes the egg, the baby will be a girl; if the Y chromosome fertilizes it, the baby will be a boy. In other words, girls inherit two X chromosomes, while boys inherit one X and one Y.
In addition, the child inherits 22 other pairs of chromosomes (11 from each parent, for a total of 46 chromosomes). These chromosomes and the genes they carry determine individual traits—from eye and hair color to skin tone, eyelash length, and nose shape.
What hair color do you imagine for your baby? There is a general rule: children are more likely to inherit hair color similar to their parents, especially if multiple family members have straight hair. This applies to parents with brown, black, or red hair as well.
If parents come from different ethnic backgrounds—for example, one Asian and one European—the outcome can vary. Researchers believe that if one parent has brown or black hair and the other has red or blonde hair, the child is more likely to have darker hair because brown and black genes are dominant. However, depending on gene dominance and quantity, the baby could still have blonde or red hair.
Wondering if your chubby baby will stay chubby as they grow? Genetics play a role, but lifestyle matters more. Studies indicate that weight is up to 40% influenced by genes, with the rest affected by environment and behavior. Families with multiple overweight members increase the likelihood that a child may also carry extra weight into adulthood. A healthy diet and regular physical activity can significantly reduce this risk.
Eye color is inherited genetically. Each person inherits two eye-color genes—one from each parent—which may be similar or different. Dark-colored genes are dominant over lighter ones. For instance, a child with one brown and one blue gene will have brown eyes. The final eye color often stabilizes between six and ten months of age.
About half of a child’s genes are similar to those of their siblings, but a newborn can still resemble other family members more than their brothers or sisters. This happens because genes can mutate, combine differently, or vary in quantity during conception, influencing the child’s appearance.
Will your child be as tall as their father or as short as you? Tall parents tend to have taller children, and shorter parents tend to have shorter children. Exceptions occur, and the environment, including nutrition, can also affect height.
To predict whether a boy may experience hair thinning, look at his maternal lineage. Male-pattern baldness is linked to the X chromosome and is inherited from the mother. A maternal grandfather’s hair pattern often predicts hair loss more than the father’s. In other words, a bald maternal grandfather can pass a baldness gene to his daughter, which she may then pass on to her sons.
Interestingly, visualization may influence your baby’s features. If you frequently imagine or see your child resembling a particular person, this mental image could subtly affect their appearance. For example, if you want your child to resemble their father, spend time observing the father’s features.
