what is the probability of a right handed person and a left handed person having a heterozygous child? homozygous dominant? homozygous recessive?
Since this is not my area of expertise, I searched Google under the key words "handedness genetic basis" to get these possible sources:
http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=handedness+genetic+basis&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
In the future, you can find the information you desire more quickly, if you use appropriate key words to do your own search. Also see http://hanlib.sou.edu/searchtools/.
To calculate the probability of different genotypes in a child, we need to understand the concept of genetic inheritance. The genes responsible for handedness are believed to be inherited from both parents, though the exact mechanism is not yet fully understood.
Assuming that right-handedness is dominant (R) and left-handedness is recessive (r), the possible genotype combinations for a right-handed person (RR) and a left-handed person (rr) are as follows:
1. Heterozygous child (Rr): The child inherits one right-handedness gene (R) from the right-handed parent and one left-handedness gene (r) from the left-handed parent. The probability of having a heterozygous child can be determined using a Punnett square.
2. Homozygous dominant child (RR): The child inherits two right-handedness genes (RR), one from each parent.
3. Homozygous recessive child (rr): The child inherits two left-handedness genes (rr), one from each parent.
To calculate the probability, we need to know the genotypes of both parents. Let's assume the right-handed parent is heterozygous (Rr) and the left-handed parent is homozygous recessive (rr).
For a heterozygous child (Rr):
- In this scenario, since one parent is homozygous recessive (rr), the probability of the child being heterozygous (Rr) is 100%.
For a homozygous dominant child (RR):
- Since the left-handed parent is homozygous recessive (rr), the probability of the child being homozygous dominant (RR) in this scenario is 0%.
For a homozygous recessive child (rr):
- In this scenario, the child can only be homozygous recessive (rr) if both parents contribute the recessive gene. Therefore, the probability is 50% (assuming random chance).
It is important to note that this is a simplified explanation based on the assumption that right-handedness is dominant and left-handedness is recessive. The genetic basis of handedness is more complex and can vary between individuals and populations.