The baby has not yet had time to be born, and fortune-telling is already beginning in the family, who will the child look like? Yes, and mom thinks: what will my child look like? How genetics affects the appearance and personality of a child and, read on.

How to find out who the child will look like

You have probably imagined the appearance of your child during pregnancy more than once, imagining who the child will look like. Will he be tall like a husband? Will his hair be curly like yours? Or maybe he will inherit grandfather's sense of humor?

Experts say that the 46 human chromosomes contain between 60,000 and 100,000 genes (which make up DNA). The child gets 23 mother's chromosomes and 23 father's. With all sorts of combinations of genes, one parent could theoretically produce 64 trillion different children. This should let you know that it is impossible to predict what a child will look like. The science of genetics is very complex, but you can get at least short review to feed your imagination.

Do you remember anything about genes and fruit flies from school biology lessons? Back in those days, you were told that a dominant gene drives out a recessive one. Scientists have long known that humans are more complex than Drosophila. But only recently have they begun to realize just how much more difficult it is.

As it turned out, human characteristics are characterized by polygenicity, that is, their formation is influenced by a large number of gene. To complicate the picture even more, imagine that regarding some characteristics, such as height, weight, and even character (read more in the article) big influence on which genes to predominate, has environment.

What will the child look like: the color of the child's eyes

Who will the child look like: height and weight

For a rough estimate of growth, determine average height moms and dads. Then add a centimeter for a boy, or subtract a centimeter for a girl. If your height is 158 cm, and your husband's height is 164 cm, then the average height will be 161 cm. Thus, your son's height will be somewhere around 162 cm, and your daughter's height will be 159 cm. Of course, such an unpredictable science as genetics does not tolerate such rough measures. So it's likely that your child will be a head taller than the taller of the two of you, or a head shorter than the shorter one.

Nutrition and health have a very big impact. If your daughter's genes set her height at 160 cm, then she may not reach this mark due to inadequate nutrition or some external factors that interfere with normal development. In another case, it can outgrow the target mark thanks to a balanced diet, which is also proved by recent studies.

But it is impossible to guess whether your child will be thin or full. Genes only approximately characterize the future weight of the child, but do not guarantee it. Of course, when both parents have excess weight, the likelihood of such problems in a child is quite high. can be explained by genes in a family way life, but rather a combination of both factors.

What will the child look like: hair color

Usually, dark color hair prevails over light. But as in determining eye color, hair can become various shades mixed from the hair color of both parents. It depends on the pigments in your and your husband's hair and how they mix. Parents with a similar hair color may have a child with a slightly different shade of the same color.

Unexpected combinations happen in parents with different color hair. This happens when the recessive color gene of one parent interacts with the gene of the other parent. So it is possible that a dark-haired partner, but with a recessive gene white color, when interacting with the other partner's white gene, will have a child with blond hair.

Red hair color is considered dominant in relation to white

Regarding the red hair color, which was previously considered recessive, is now recognized as dominant in relation to white. You may be red and not even know it, because the red tone of your hair is blocked by a stronger brown or black pigment.

Who will the child look like: personality

According to experts, many personal characteristics (for example, reaction to noise) are genetically incorporated in a child from birth. But experts also believe that the environment has a huge impact on the formation of behavior. For example, the desire to take risks can be genetically based (the gene for adventurism was recently discovered), but you can make this restlessness and thirst for adventure manifest itself to a lesser extent, in a different way, or even disappear altogether.

In the same way, creatively, or possessors of absolute pitch (also scientifically proven about the existence of the corresponding genes) will perfectly manifest themselves in an environment conducive to this. But if they never touched brushes or musical instruments, then the talent will simply disappear. Fortunately, this also works in reverse side. So, a child without any predisposition will be able, through diligence and work on himself, to develop an ear for music or artistic skill. It is hardly possible to find a trait that cannot be developed by oneself, or for which the gene is completely absent.

How is it that two brunettes suddenly have a child with snow-white curls? Unenlightened people will think that deceit and treason are taking place here. Doctors explain the presence of blond hair in a newborn by the laws of genetics. By the way, guided by the laws of genetics, a woman can find out what the baby will be like, even during pregnancy. And complex analyzes are useless here - it is enough to have minimal knowledge in the field of genetics. About methods for determining eye color, hair shade and baby teeth shape, you will learn from the following article.

Heredity: what will your baby be like?

For heredity, a combination of genes is “responsible” - the biochemical functional elements of chromosomes (on which, as you know, the sex of the unborn child depends). Genetics is a most interesting science that in one way or another invades the life of each of us: it is not for nothing that the parents of a newborn attribute the color of the eyes, the shape of the nose and the habit of frowning the eyebrows to a hereditary predisposition.

External and internal: patterns

What color will the hairs of the daughter of a blonde mother and a brunette father be? Can blue-eyed parents have a brown-eyed baby (if we put aside jokes about a neighbor)? Let's try to figure it out.

As you know, there are dominant and recessive genes, and the former "block" the actions of the latter. That is, if the owner dominant trait- for example, dark curly hair- Mom, her gene will "win" the recessive gene of the blond dad, and the child will turn out to be a curly brunette.

If both parents are “carriers” of recessive traits, for example, one of the spouses has blue eyes and the other has gray eyes, a “fight” will occur between their genes, the outcome of which will become known only after the birth of the baby.

Recessive traits also include straight hair, lack of skin pigmentation, rhesus negative-factor and even susceptibility to poison sumac. To dominant - brown or green color eyes, normal blood clotting factors and male pattern baldness.

According to geneticists, the appearance of the baby, as a rule, is due not to a single gene, but whole group genes. And the result of such mixing can not always be predicted: a red-haired baby born in a family “not burdened” with red-haired relatives may easily turn out to be not a fetus. adultery, but a genetic "joke".

No less relevant next question: Does heredity affect the character of a child? There is still no consensus on this matter, however, many geneticists are still inclined to believe that a hereditary predisposition has a certain influence on the formation of a child's character.

However, it is worth remembering that the environment in which the baby grows and the upbringing that is given to him have great importance in the formation of his personality. So the adopted baby has real chances grow up a teetotaler-intellectual, in contrast to the biological father, who abused alcohol and had no craving for knowledge.

According to experts, musical ability, intelligence and even love for certain products can be genetically determined. However, even the most gifted kids need systematic training, which is why it is so important to notice and start developing the child’s abilities in time.

Genetics: myths and reality

A scientifically proven fact is the existence of hereditary diseases caused by chromosomal and gene mutations(violations). For the development of some diseases, one damaged gene is enough, for the formation of others - a combination of several deformed genes.

Geneticists say that even a tendency to depression can be inherited. Predict a child's chances of developing various pathologies maybe even before he was born. genetics consultation and genetic expertise give future parents the opportunity to prepare in advance for the fact of the birth of a child with a particular disease and receive detailed information about his treatment.

In some cases early diagnosis- required for effective treatment factor. Telegony can be attributed to the area of ​​myths - the theory that the gene pool of a woman's first sexual partner affects the hereditary characteristics of her future offspring.

For example, supporters of this concept argue that a child can inherit some external signs the first man of his mother (although he is not the father of the baby). Supporters of telegony are often believers who turn to this theory to justify the inadmissibility of premarital sexual relations. Geneticists consider telegony a superstition.

Even before the baby is born, future parents like to dream, imagining what the long-awaited baby will be like.

In anticipation of his birth, the family wonders who he will look like? What will be the appearance of the unborn child?

What hair color will my daughter have if her mother is blonde and her father is brunette? Is it possible to have a baby with brown eyes from blue-eyed parents? Let's figure this out.

How to determine the color of a child's hair?

Many parents long before the birth of a child want to know future color his hair. Theoretically, this is possible if you know some laws of genetics. And you don't even have to take tests.

The genes of both parents are involved in the process of forming the hair color of the unborn child. Note that any genes, including those responsible for hair pigmentation, can be either dominant or recessive.

In other words, strong or weak. In the process of the birth of a future person, strong dominant genes block the action of weak recessive ones and are passed on to the future generation.

That is, if the father has a dominant hair color gene, then his son or daughter will inherit it.

If both parents have dominant or recessive genes, then the "result" of their "struggle" will be unpredictable. The genes of grandparents can intervene, affecting the outcome. In this case, the hair color of the unborn baby can only be determined with a certain degree of probability.

You can independently determine the factor of dominance or recessiveness of your genes by the following signs.

If you have brown or green eyes, a normal clotting factor, or a tendency to baldness (in men), the genes are dominant.

Recessive genes are characterized by straight hair, lack of skin pigmentation and negative Rh factor blood.

Remember that genetics is not mathematics. It does not give exact answers to questions of heredity, but only determines the most likely possibilities. But the genes of relatives of several generations can be included in the process of gene transfer. As a result, quite unexpectedly, a family is born red-haired child who inherited his hair color from some distant relative. Especially often this happens at the birth of the first child.

Also, do not forget that during the first 5 years of a newborn's life, hair color can change more than once. Usually they change in the first or second years of life and are finally formed by the age of 5 years. But during puberty, due to changes in the amount of testosterone in the body of a teenager, hair color can change again.

Therefore, what color the baby’s hair will be can be judged no earlier than 2 years. Instability of hair color in Madenets is explained by changes hormonal background, which causes the distribution of melanin in the hair (the pigment that is responsible for hair color).

Telegony can be attributed to the area of ​​myths - the theory that the gene pool of a woman's first sexual partner affects the hereditary characteristics of her future offspring.

For example, supporters of this concept argue that a child can inherit some of the external signs of the first man of his mother (although he is not the father of the baby). Supporters of telegony are often believers who turn to this theory to justify the inadmissibility of premarital sexual relations. Geneticists consider telegony a superstition.

Hair loss

Within 3-4 months after birth, the baby's hair thins significantly, and some babies become completely bald. Hair loss in the first months of life is a physiological phenomenon and is associated with changes in hormonal levels. Hair loss can occur with different intensity - in some it is almost imperceptible, in others it is zonal (usually baldness occurs in the temporal and occipital areas), in the following - almost all the hair can fall out. None active action to strengthen the hair during this period is not necessary. After 6 months, the hair begins to grow back. If even after 6 months there is practically no hair, then it is worth consulting with a pediatrician (to exclude deficiency of vitamins and minerals, hormonal imbalance).

The appearance of bald patches and baldness zones on the back of the head also often worries parents. In most cases, the reason is that the baby rubs these areas of the head on the bed, mechanical friction and leads to hair loss. Alopecia at the back of the head is not a sign of rickets unless there are other symptoms ( heavy sweating, anxiety, pallor and marbling of the skin, fever, decreased muscle tone).

Rare "hairstyle"

Many parents worry when the baby is already 1 year old, and the hair on the head is still very sparse and short. Most often this applies to fair-haired babies. Hair density is also genetically determined, parents can be advised to find their 1 year old baby photos and look at their hairstyle. If it's identical, then there's nothing to worry about. In some children, hair begins to grow actively only by the age of 2, and this does not mean that the child will not have beautiful hair in the future.

It should be noted that the thickness of the hair shaft approaches that of an adult by the age of 5, so before 5 years you should not worry about the lack of thickness of the child's hairstyle.

stimulate hair growth folk remedies the child is not recommended. This may cause allergic reactions, as well as damage the hair follicles (which are located superficially).

Can improve hair growth balanced diet. Vitamins A, B, E, C, D, trace elements - calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, selenium are responsible for the growth and condition of the hair. In the diet of the child and mother (with breastfeeding) must contain animal proteins, polyunsaturated fatty acid(omega-3 and omega-6).

Parents often pre-model appearance future child: who will he be more like, what eye color will he acquire, what hair will he be born with. Often such forecasts do not come true, which does not prevent mothers and fathers from loving their child, regardless of whether he is light or dark. Despite this, after the birth of a baby, parents have a whole bag of prejudices associated with the “hairstyle” of the child.

Superstitions come into play: what does this shade mean, how does it affect a person’s life, and whether fate changes along with the darkening or lightening of the hairs. The anxiety of parents involuntarily causes a smile, but there is a reasonable grain in it. Sometimes the shade of the hair is not something that affects health, but is directly related to it. Let's try to understand these connections, along the way answering the most popular questions.

What determines hair color?

Our body is a system of interconnected organs. It exists autonomously, although nature has created such connections, not visible to the eye but tangible. They are found at the genetic level, so a person's appearance, character and even habits are formed long before birth. Our relatives, whose names we may not even know, took part in this process. Knowing how to understand these connections, you can scientifically predict what color the hair of a newborn will be.

Recessive and dominant genes

To do this, you need to know which of the parents has stronger genes (dominant), and which has weaker (recessive) genes. A situation may arise in which both mom and dad have recessive genes - then the shade of the baby's hair will depend on the genes of more distant relatives.

Determine the recessiveness or dominance of genes will help specific features of the external and internal structure of the body. Carriers of weak genes are considered people with green or brown eyes, wavy hair, a positive Rh factor, as well as balding men.

People with strong genetics are different clear skin, straight hair, they have a negative blood Rh factor.

superstition

But not always, even relying on these theoretical calculations, it is possible to guess the hair color of the unborn child. Cases seem curious when a baby is born with hair of a color that no parent has. Often this is due to the appearance of red babies.

The area of ​​superstition spread by the orthodox church includes the theory of telegony, which suggests that the genes of all the mother's lovers are involved in the formation of the child's heredity. The reason for the emergence of this theory is due to the fact that orthodox believers in this way want to prove the immorality of premarital sexual intercourse.

Color and density

In fair-haired babies in the first year of life, the hair does not differ in density. Don't Worry: Shaping hairline child continues for the first five years. Until this time, insufficient density should not give cause for concern.

Moreover, you should not use the advice of traditional medicine - following them can only aggravate the situation and cause:

• brittleness;
• dryness;
• damaged roots;
• color loss.

Proper hair care involves healthy diet, it includes foods high in zinc, magnesium, calcium, vitamins A, B, and C.

The density of the hairline is not related to the frequency of haircuts. The only thing they contribute to is the coarsening of the hair. Therefore, parents should put aside superstitions - nature will take care of the future.

Some parents, in the hope of avoiding hair loss in a child, shave his head. Doing this is highly discouraged, because shaving can damage skin covering heads, and this process will not have any effect on the hair.

Color change

There is no need to be afraid if the color and structure of the hair of newborns begin to change intensively: these processes are observed in almost everyone. Hair can change color several times. These processes are due to the restructuring of the body, which is actively going on for the first 5 years of a baby’s life: at this time, the child’s hormonal balance is adjusted, redistributed important components responsible for external and internal structure body.

Hair darkens

More often the hair in children darkens. Pediatricians find it difficult to give a definitive answer to the question of why this happens. Most agree that after the birth of a child, the distribution of melanin pigment in his body changes.

In the womb, most babies have light hair because it contains a significant amount of pigment. Its content can remain at the same level even after birth, which is why in the first months, and sometimes even years, naturally dark children remain blond.

After birth, the baby's hair begins to change structure and color. One of the pigments responsible for light is eumelanin. The more it is in the hair, the darker it is. The content of this pigment, unlike melanin, gradually increases. You can see this process in photographs of children in which, as they grow older, their hair becomes darker.

Breast hair is brighter

Less often, there are cases when the hair of babies lightens. The reason for this process lies in the decrease in the content of eumelanin in the hair.

fiery color

Most parental superstitions are associated with red-haired children. Since ancient times, this color entails a trail of mystical ideas. In the era of nano-technologies, scientists tried to dispel these superstitions and, on the basis of reliable facts, prove that the red hair color does not differ much from other types in terms of characteristics.

Its carrier is the MK1R gene, informally known as the "ginger gene". It is recessive in terms of strength. This means that a child will be born red-haired if two “ginger” genes are in its gene structure. Therefore, it is not always large family with red-haired parents, all children will necessarily be red-haired.

The probability of acquiring this color in these cases is 1 to 4. The MK1R gene can doze for several generations in a row and appear at a moment when it was not expected, and ignorance of the laws of genetics will lead to the fact that the birth of a ginger baby will cause not too good assumptions from the father.

If the melanin pigment is responsible for the light color, and eumelanin is responsible for the dark color, then pheomelanin is responsible for the red hair. Its presence increases the risk of melanoma. Even people with pale skin types and blond hair are less likely to get it. But distinctive character, a priori attributed to redheads, remains a stereotype that has not been confirmed by scientific research.

Maintaining and caring for natural hair color

In order for the baby's hair to look well-groomed, and their color to be natural, parents need to follow simple rules.

Balanced diet rich in vitamins and minerals

The baby begins to feed already in the womb: the supply of the child with the necessary nutrients. If a mother has problems with hair during pregnancy, they need to be resolved quickly so that they do not negatively affect the child.

No food ingredient is so beneficial for a baby as mother's milk. It contains the necessary useful material For normal development child's body.

Starting from the second year, the child's diet should be expanded with supplements rich in proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Vitamins A, B, E, C and D are needed to restore hair and maintain its normal condition.

Washing head

The baby's head should be washed daily. In this case, it is recommended to use shampoos no more than twice a week, and it is better not to wash the baby’s head with soap at all. If it's time to wash your baby's head with shampoo, detergent rub it in the palm of your hand or warm it with warm water. This is done in order not to frighten the baby with cold liquid.

During bath procedures, parents need to carefully monitor whether dirt remains in the hair, whether the skin is sufficiently moistened.

Intensive hormonal changes in the baby's body lead to poor condition skin, which is characterized by the appearance of a crust. It will easily come off on its own during bathing, if it is pre-lubricated with a moisturizing baby cream. After bath procedures, the child's hair should be slightly wet. soft towel and let them dry on their own.

Combing

The baby needs to comb his head every day, and this does not depend on the density of his hair. Thanks to combing, the child's hair becomes smooth and acquires a natural color, and the scalp is massaged. To comb out all the rubbish from the hair, you need to change the direction of combing: from right to left, from top to bottom, against growth and vice versa. For uniform hair growth, parting should be done in different places.

Need to pay Special attention on the comb: it should not be sharp and hard. Issued for children special brushes With natural bristles. Also, do not forget that combs, like toothbrushes, are short-lived. They gradually accumulate dirt, skin particles, lost hair, which contributes to the spread of infection.

Compliance with the above rules is the key to the excellent condition of the child's hair and their natural color. Violation of the recommendations will lead to the fact that the baby's hair will become dirty, tangled and brittle.

The hair color of the unborn child can be calculated, but is it worth it? Conduct genetic analyzes, to determine the recessiveness or dominance of genes, to find out what kind of hair great-grandparents had in their youth ... Nature or God themselves ordered by bringing future parents together, and it doesn’t take much from them: to love their child, despite being dark he is blonde or red-haired.

Even in ancient times, people guessed that there is such a thing as heredity, and were interested in this, which is confirmed by ancient literature. But only in the middle of the 19th century were the main patterns of genetic inheritance discovered by the Austrian biologist Gregor Mendel. This was the first step on the way to the current genetics. And in the middle of the 20th century, scientists began research chemical processes that govern heredity. In 1953, the structure of DNA was deciphered, and this became one of the most significant moments in the history of biology. And now everyone knows that DNA is deoxyribonucleic acid, which contains genetic information. DNA contains information about a person physical qualities and character traits. Every cell human body contains two DNA codes - from the mother and from the father. Thus, DNA information is "mixed", and a combination of features appears, unique to each person, inherent only to him. Who will it look like future child- for mom or dad, or maybe for grandma or grandpa? The topic of our today's article is "Human genetics, parents, what will the child be like."

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Photo gallery: Human genetics, parents, what will be the child

It is very difficult to say what genetic combination will turn out. People try to predict, but nature and genetics just do their job. Strong (dominant) and weak (recessive) genes take part in the formation of a combination of genetic characteristics of a child. Strong genetic traits include dark hair as well as curly hair; brown, green or hazel-green eyes; dark skin; baldness in men; positive rh factor; II, III and IV blood groups and other signs. They also include a large nose, a hooked nose, big ears, plump lips, high forehead, a strong chin and other "outstanding" features of appearance. Weak genetic traits include red, blond, straight hair; gray, Blue eyes; bright skin; baldness in women; negative Rh factor; I blood group and other signs. Dominant and recessive genes are also responsible for the predisposition to certain diseases.

So, the child receives a set of dominant genes. For example, a child may have a father's dark hair color, mother's Brown eyes, grandmother's thick straight hair and grandfather's "stubborn" chin. What is the order of inheritance of genes? Each person has two genes - from the mother, and from the father. For example, a husband and wife both have brown eyes, but each also has a gene for blue eyes inherited from their parents. In 75% of cases, such a couple will have a brown-eyed child, and in 25% - blue-eyed. But sometimes dark-eyed children are born to light-eyed parents, since the parents had a gene responsible for the dark color of the eyes, which was transmitted to them, in turn, from their parents, but did not appear as dominant. In other words, everything is more confusing and much more complicated than just the struggle between dominant and recessive genes.

The external data of a person are the result of mixing several genes, so the result can not always be predicted. Let's take another example with hair color. For example, a male has a dominant gene dark hair, and in a woman - a recessive gene for blond hair. Their child is likely to have dark shade hair. And when that child grows up, his own children may have blond hair. Why is this possible? This child received two genes from his parents - a dominant gene for dark hair (which appeared) and a recessive gene for blond hair. This recessive gene can interact with the partner's recessive genes when conceiving a child and win this "fight". Thus, a person can inherit genes even from distant relatives, for example, from some great-great-grandmother, which may come as a surprise to parents.

Sometimes the same gene can perform several functions at once. For example, several genes are responsible for eye color, which are combined in different ways. But some regularity can be traced. For example, black-eyed parents will not have blue-eyed children. But the brown-eyed (with various variations shades) of parents, brown-eyed children are most often born, but blue-eyed children may well be born. Parents with blue or gray eyes, most likely, there will be blue-eyed or gray-eyed children.

It is difficult to predict a child's height and foot size. Some predisposition to one or another growth can be traced, but here everything depends not only on genetics. Of course, tall parents the child will most often be above average. But a lot also depends on how future mom ate during pregnancy, how the child ate, what diseases he had, and so on. If a child in childhood ate well and properly, got enough sleep, moved a lot, went in for sports, then he has every chance to achieve high performance growth. Also, sometimes even facial expressions and facial expressions are genetically transmitted from parents to children.

Character traits, temperament are also transmitted genetically, but it is very difficult to predict. But the character of a child is not only genetics, it is also upbringing, environment, position in society. Children also, when communicating with their parents, adopt some character traits, so parents should be careful and vigilant - to show good qualities to show children a worthy example of behavior.

And, of course, the level of intelligence, mental capacity, propensity for certain sciences, activities, hobbies are also genetically transmitted (probability - up to 60%), for example, a propensity for music, dancing, sports, mathematics, drawing, and so on. In addition, even taste, aroma and color preferences are inherited, for example, a love of spicy or sweet, and the like.

There is an opinion that boys are more likely to look like mom, and girls look like dad. This is true, but only in part. Indeed, boys are often very similar to their mother, because they inherit the X chromosome from her, which contains a huge number of genes responsible for appearance, and they receive the Y chromosome from their father. Girls, on the other hand, receive one X chromosome from their father and mother, so they can be similar to both parents.

The gender of the unborn child depends entirely on the man. Female germ cells have only X chromosomes, which means that any egg at conception, respectively, contains only X chromosomes. Male sex cells contain both X and Y chromosomes. Y chromosomes are responsible for the male sex of the child. Thus, if female X chromosome will meet male X chromosome then a girl will be born. And if the female X chromosome meets male Y chromosome then a boy will be born.

In fact, it is not so important what gender the child will be, and what color his eyes and hair will be. The most important thing is that the child is healthy and happy, and his parents too! Now you will find out how important human genetics are, parents, what kind of child will be depends on your heredity! Don't forget to lead correct image life!