Inherited Diseases – Thalassemia

When you get pregnant, especially for the first time, it is easy to get confused by the vast amount of information that comes your way. From your doctors to your friends and family, everyone has something to tell you. The early discussions that many OBGYNs and midwives have with their newly pregnant patients often contain information regarding genetic testing. There are different types of tests and the reasons for suggesting each test are different. Some specific tests many be suggested based upon your family history and ethnic heritage. Today, I learned from my mother that a fairly distant relative of … Continue reading

Confuse Your Descendants – Make Your Brown Eyes Blue

The color of your eyes depends on the genes that you inherited from your parents. A study found that all humans that have blue eyes share a common ancestor. Recently, a scientist found a way to change brown eyes into blue eyes. That group will have blue eyes, but won’t share the common ancestor with the people who were born with blue eyes. Your eye color is something that is genetically determined. Blue eyes are a recessive trait. Brown eyes are a dominant trait. You can use a Punnett Square to predict the probability that an offspring of two particular … Continue reading