Which is the most likely explanation for a child exhibiting a heritable trait that neither parent exhibits?(1 point) Responses A mutation occurred, and the child exhibits a new trait due to the mutation. A mutation occurred, and the child exhibits a new trait due to the mutation. The parents have recessive alleles, and the child inherited a dominant allele. The parents have recessive alleles, and the child inherited a dominant allele. A grandparent exhibits the trait, and the child inherited it directly from that person. A grandparent exhibits the trait, and the child inherited it directly from that person. The trait is recessive, and the child inherited a recessive allele from each paren
The most likely explanation for a child exhibiting a heritable trait that neither parent exhibits is that the parents have recessive alleles, and the child inherited a dominant allele.
The most likely explanation for a child exhibiting a heritable trait that neither parent exhibits would be that the parents have recessive alleles, and the child inherited a dominant allele. To understand why this is the most likely explanation, let's consider the principles of inheritance.
In humans, traits are typically determined by genes, which are segments of DNA that contain instructions for building and functioning of our bodies. Each gene can have different forms called alleles. Some traits, like eye color or height, are determined by multiple genes, while others, such as blood types, are determined by a single gene.
When it comes to inheritance, we inherit one copy of each gene from each of our parents. In some cases, a particular allele can be dominant, meaning that its trait will be expressed even if only one copy is present. On the other hand, a recessive allele will only be expressed if two copies are present.
So, if both parents do not exhibit a certain trait, it is possible that they both carry a recessive allele for that trait. If the child inherits one recessive allele from each parent, they will have two copies of the recessive allele and express the trait, even if neither parent does. In this scenario, the child would have inherited a dominant allele from one or both parents, making it more likely for the child to exhibit the trait.
It should be noted that mutations can also occur, resulting in the emergence of new traits. However, mutations usually happen spontaneously and are relatively rare occurrences. In most cases, the inheritance pattern described above is more likely to explain a child exhibiting a heritable trait not observed in either parent.