Think about your traits (characteristics of living things). What color are your eyes and hair? How tall are you? What shape is your nose? You might share some traits with your mom, dad, sisters, or brothers. There might be other traits that you have that no one else in your family has. Either way, you have a unique combination of traits that make you who you are.
Inheritance is the passing of traits from parents to offspring. People in the same family often share many traits, but even if two individuals have the same parents, they are not identical to each other or either parent. There is variation, or difference among individuals, in their traits.
Inherited traits are passed from parents to offspring during reproduction. Traits are passed from one generation to the next through genes—the genetic instructions for inherited traits. Each trait is controlled by two versions of the same gene. Offspring receive one version of each gene from each of their parents. The two versions of each gene interact in different ways to determine each trait. The set of genes that each parent contributes to each offspring are a random mix. Since there are many, many genes, each individual receives a unique combination of genes from their mother and father. So, unless you have an identical twin, you have a unique set of genes.
But not all traits are inherited. Some are influenced by the environment. Things like diet, exercise, and learning can affect your traits. So even if you do have an identical twin, you can have some different traits. You might be slightly taller or more muscular.
What Do You Think? How do your traits compare to those of your family members?
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