11 Traits We Can Inherit Only From Our Mothers or Fathers
Many parents are eager to spend hours observing their children, trying to understand what they inherited from the mother, and what — from the father. It’s true, the appearance traits of our children (eye color, hair color, the shape of lips and nose) depend on the parents‘ genes. But it turns out that even such things as emotional stability and aggression can be inherited from generation to generation.
We at CHEERY decided to find out which traits children can inherit only from fathers, and which come only from mothers.
Tendency to hair loss is inherited from the mother
Every second man is not happy with his hair. With time, the hairline moves from the forehead, and the locks become thinner and thinner. For a long time, scientists tries to figure out if it’s an inherited trait.
German scientists conducted a study and found that the tendency to hair loss is most likely inherited by men from their mothers because this information is stored in the X-chromosome. However, the scientists didn’t have enough data for clear statements.
If a man can’t have children, the reason may be his father
According to scientists from Massachusetts, a small feature of the Y-chromosome that can cause infertility is passed on from father to son. And it’s usually seen in men that were conceived with one of the ways of assisted reproduction.
Children should thank their mothers for their sharp minds
Jake Gyllenhaal studied at Columbia University, the same one where his mother, Naomi Foner, earned an MA degree in developmental psychology.
For a long time, scientists tried to find out who people should thank for their sharp minds: genes, the way they were brought up, or the education system. According to the study of neurology professor Paul Thompson, the speed of information processing is defined by the genes for the most part.
And a short time ago, a group of scientists made a theory that children inherit the intelligence from mothers. This information is written in the X-chromosome. Unlike men, they have 2. Besides, scientists think that fathers’ genes responsible for cognitive activity are suppressed. This is why they can’t influence children.
Fathers are responsible not only for the gender of the child but also the siblings
Chris Hemsworth grew up in a family with 2 brothers. He has 3 children, 2 of which are boys.
Perhaps, everyone knows that father’s chromosomes determine what the gender of the child will be. But scientists at the Newcastle University found out that dads also determine whether there will be more sons or daughters.
This genetic information in inherited from the parents. If a father was surrounded by sisters, he is more likely to have daughters. And if he had several brothers, having more sons is more likely.
Children inherit their emotional conditions from their mothers
Mothers have a lot of ways to impact the mood of their children. Pancakes for breakfast can make children happy, and asking them to clean up will most likely disappoint them. But it turns out that the predisposition to certain emotional conditions is also inherited from mothers.
Mothers’ genes determine the structure of the limbic system that plays a big role in forming the emotions. And it’s the daughters that are more likely to inherit these traits, not sons.
Children can inherit extra weight from their fathers
Children can inherit the feature of the figure from their parents. The genes, inherited from the father, lead to the formation of white fat cells on the belly, buttocks, and hips. And mothers’ genes are responsible for brown fat cells that protect people from obesity.
It’s the mother who determines how long her children will look young
It turns out that the process of aging doesn’t depend only on our habits, lifestyle, and environment, but also on the genes. It’s about the changes that occur in the cell’s power plant — the mitochondrion. This element is inherited only from mothers.
Of course, other factors also matter. But some information may already be in our genes. This is why some people might look incredibly young compared to other people of the same age.
Children should thank their father for their big height
Parents’ genes are not always peaceful with each other when they create a baby. From the very beginning, they are at war, where mothers and fathers take the lead in turns.
Fathers’ genes encourage children to grow faster in the womb and have an effect on the process in the future. Mothers’ genes try to slow down the growth both during the fetal stage and after birth.
The inclination for high blood pressure may be inherited from our mothers
Studies, conducted in the same family, showed that a mutation in one of the gene is responsible for high blood pressure. And it’s inherited only from the mother because this information is in the mitochondria.
So, a high blood pressure may be caused not only by our lifestyle and bad habits, but also the genes.
The time when puberty starts depends on the father
The genes of both parents determine the time when children will have puberty. Scientists found that if puberty starts too early, which is before 8 years old for girls and before 11 years old in boys, we should thank the genes, or specific mutation in fathers’ genes.
Alzheimer’s disease may be inherited from the mother
When developing a program on early recognition and prevention of this disease, scientists wanted to find out if it could be inherited. It turned out that adults, whose mothers suffered from dementia, had a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s.
In addition to that, it seems impossible to inherit dementia from the father. Unfortunately, scientists still haven’t found the gene, responsible for the inheritance of Alzheimer’s.
What do you think you inherited from your mother and what from your father?