Sunday 8 March 2009

Cracking the genetic code

Okay, I think I've cracked the code... It has been a mystery to us how we ended up with two WILD boys when according to us we were perfect children. If you had absolutely no interest in genetics at school then tune out now... I loved genetics, I did very well at biology (unlike most of the rest of my subjects) because it actually all seemed to make sense to me.

So with basic genetics there's dominant and recessive genes. With eye colour, brown is dominant and blue is recessive. So in our case Wolf and I both have a blue recessive gene from our dads being drowned out by the dominant brown but Lion has blue eyes because we both passed on a recessive blue gene to him. So with statistics that we all know mean jack all if we have four kids we should have one with a double dominant brown gene(brown eyes), two with the dominant brown and a recessive blue (brown eyes) and one with the double recessive blue genes (blue eyes). Except that statistics mean jack all, did I already say that? oh, no I crossed it out, not one read that... so you can end up with 4 kids with blue eyes, 4 kids with brown eyes or any combination of the two. This is where things have gone bad for us... Perfection is the dominant gene. Wild is the recessive. Apparently Wolf and I both have a recessive wild gene that has emerged TWICE in our children. I know what you are thinking "I stayed reading just for this?" "you are a genius Mummy McTavish" and yes, yes I am. This is just my contribution to society. You're welcome.


Hamish didn't do anything to us, he rode the currents down the coast (or whatever cyclones do) and he is still riding them at the moment, we got a skeric of rain and just a strong breeze, thank you for your prayers. He has been up and down between category 3, 4 and 5. He is now expected to make landfall Tuesday morning near Bundaberg. There is a small amount of hope that he will fizzle out in the cooler water but the news is jumping on one line that he will be "as big as Katrina". Lets hope not.

10 comments:

  1. That has to be one of the cutest pics yet.

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  2. Precious picture! My hubby and I and our kids all have the same eye color. I am glad that you are not being blown around and are alright!

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  3. Uhh...it looks like that recessive gene combination created red eyes...do cameras have genes? Hilarious post, I loved genetics as well, I had 10 or so extra biology credits in college.

    Thanks for your sweet comments, you're the best!

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  4. The whole dominant/recessive gene thing is actually more complicated than that, which I'd forgotten til just recently. You can have two blue-eyed parents who produced a brown-eyed child. Usually the two parents woudl have Blue-Blue genes, meaning the child could only have Blue-Blue, but sometimes you get these weird combination genes, so the parent might have Blue-Blue/Brown. That brown part can reveal itself in a child of two blue-eyed parents. Weird, I know! Just some random trivia ;)

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  5. We have one brown eyed parent (with brown and green eyed parents) and one blue eyed parent (with parents who's eye colour has changed since glaucome) and one brown eyed child and one blue eyed child.
    Genetics is marvellous.
    But in that beautiful picture those "wild" boys of your wouldn't melt butter.

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  6. "Wild" is much more interesting that 'tame'. At least that's what I tell myself when my bunch are acting like feral animals.

    We heard that TC Hamish is 95% likely to blow itself out at sea. Glad it didn't hit your area anyway.

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  7. That photo is not proving much to me about the wild gene. The two little angels in the photo have the wild gene? I don't believe it :)

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  8. Heading over to check on Hamish--y'all have had more than your fair share this season, don't you think? Hope all is well.

    And those two wild boys? Just DARLING!

    Blessings!

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  9. Great, I wonder if I can use all this to figure out how my kid became so stubborn. Oh no. Just need to look at the husband and then back at myself and realize -- we're both stubborn so he is too. :-)

    Glad the hurricane slipped past. Hope you remain safe and others do too!

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  10. I always loved genetics!!!
    I am wondering on your parents take as to if you were actually recessively wild at the boys age!!!????!!!
    They look so cute there in that pic!

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