Which is dominant?

[Luanne]

I had a conversation with someone at the plasma place today. She said that a teacher in school told her that blond hair and blue eyes are dominant. I was told by a teacher in high school that brown hair and brown eyes are dominant. Which one of us is right or do they really even know for sure?

[sassenach]

I voted for what I was taught, I have no idea if it's right. Brown/brown.

[celticmom]

My guess is that it is more complicated than simple dominant/recessive. It has been quite a few years but I think that there might be multiple genes involved especially for hair.

[Jayne J]

I've always heard/learned that brown/brown is dominant. Dh is brown eyed, and I am blue. We have 2 brown eyed children and 1 blue eyed. Perhaps if we had one more we could create a perfect punnett square!

[Laura Corin]

Brown/brown is dominant. I am third generation brown/brown. With my husband (fair/blue) I have produced one brown blue and one brown brown. That means - as far as I understand it - that the 'blue' gene has been in my family for four generations but dominated by brown. Only when put together with my husband's blue has it been expressed.

 

Laura

[Ellie]

I'll go for brown/brown, too, although I think hair color is more complex than eye color. Mr. Ellie's father had brown eyes, his mother, blue; Mr. Ellie has brown. I have blue. Both dds are brown.

 

Mr. Ellie's mother had strawberry blonde hair when she was young. I don't know about his father--it was white by the time Mr. Ellie was born. Mr. Ellie had blonde hair until he was 9 or 10, then it went brown. I have blonde hair. Both dds were blonde when they were young, now both are darkish blonde/light brownish.

[milovany]

I grew up in a family of blue-eyed, brown haired children so always thought of this color combination as "most normal" (whatever that meant!). I was surprised to learn in high school and college biology that brown/brown is dominant and blue eyes are recessive. My husband has hazel eyes and our kids all have blue, so the trend continues.

[Lady Florida.]

While it's more complicated, and has more to do with the genes you carry than your specific eye color, brown is dominant over blue.

[freeindeed]

I was taught brown/brown is dominant.

[MooCow]

I've always heard/learned that brown/brown is dominant. Dh is brown eyed, and I am blue. We have 2 brown eyed children and 1 blue eyed. Perhaps if we had one more we could create a perfect punnet square!

 

 

I'm brown, dh blue, both sons have blue, our daughter has brown

I think it's a carpshoot :D

[gardenmom5]

:smilielol5: I hope she's not teaching a genetics class.

 

okay - quick genetics lesson for anyone who's forgotten their mendal. (and this is very basic.)

 

basically each parent has two eye color genes they give their children. (there are more variations)

brown/brown or brown/blue - will have brown eyes

blue/blue will have blue eyes.

 

a brown/blue parent who marries a brown/blue parent has a 25% chance per child of having a child with blue eyes, and 75% per child of brown eyes. (hey, I'm doing math.)

a brown/blue parent who marries a blue/blue parent has a 50% chance per child of having a blue eyed OR brown eyed child because the blue eyed parent always contributes a blue eyed gene, but it is over written by the brown eyed gene from the other parent.

a brown/brown parent will only have brown eyed children even if the other parent is blue/blue.

 

basically the same for blonde vs brown hair.

 

eta: I only did a quick and dirty on eye color, NOT hair color. since the original post only addressed blue vs brown eyes, that is all I addressed. I did not, nor am I qualified, to get into hazel, grey, violet, gold, or any other variation of eye color.

 

and hair color is totally independent of eye color.

[Luanne]

:smilielol5: I hope she's not teaching a genetics class.

 

I guess I should have asked her if it was her choir teacher who told her.

[unsinkable]

This always fascinates people so I think I'll share here: my parents both had green eyes and black hair. DB and I have blue eyes and light brown hair that was blonder when we were young.

 

I wish I had green eyes, tho.

 

[cjzimmer1]

:smilielol5: I hope she's not teaching a genetics class.

 

okay - quick genetics lesson for anyone who's forgotten their mendal.

 

basically each parent has two eye color genes they give their children. (there are more variations)

brown/brown or brown/blue - will have brown eyes

blue/blue will have blue eyes.

 

a brown/blue parent who marries a brown/blue parent has a 25% chance per child of having a child with blue eyes, and 75% per child of brown eyes. (hey, I'm doing math.)

a brown/blue parent who marries a blue/blue parent has a 50% chance per child of having a blue eyed OR brown eyed child because the blue eyed parent always contributes a blue eyed gene, but it is over written by the brown eyed gene from the other parent.

a brown/brown parent will only have brown eyed children even if the other parent is blue/blue.

 

basically the same for blonde hair.

 

This is what I was always taught too so I figured that since I have brown eyes, I would have at least 1 brown eyed child. But alas statistics are not on my side and despite having 6 children, I have NO brown eyed children. My family keeps joking saying I'm going to keep having more kids until I get my brown eyed one but no that really isn't my plan.

[gardenmom5]

This always fascinates people so I think I'll share here: my parents both had green eyes and black hair. DB and I have blue eyes and light brown hair that was blonder when we were young.

 

I wish I had green eyes, tho.

 

I have blue eyes with a brown racing stripe through one. . . . . .

My only question on my kids looks was what color hair they had (blonde/red) and if it would be curly or straight. Mine wouldn't hold a curl, but my dad and brother had beautiful soft curls. even my one whose hair was straighter than a doornail has turned curly.

[Parrothead]

:smilielol5: I hope she's not teaching a genetics class.

 

okay - quick genetics lesson for anyone who's forgotten their mendal. (and this is very basic.)

 

basically each parent has two eye color genes they give their children. (there are more variations)

brown/brown or brown/blue - will have brown eyes

blue/blue will have blue eyes.

 

a brown/blue parent who marries a brown/blue parent has a 25% chance per child of having a child with blue eyes, and 75% per child of brown eyes. (hey, I'm doing math.)

a brown/blue parent who marries a blue/blue parent has a 50% chance per child of having a blue eyed OR brown eyed child because the blue eyed parent always contributes a blue eyed gene, but it is over written by the brown eyed gene from the other parent.

a brown/brown parent will only have brown eyed children even if the other parent is blue/blue.

 

basically the same for blonde hair.

You forgot the mutants like me with green eyes and red hair.

[higginszoo]

It's not always simple. I have brown hair and brown eyes dh has brown hair green eyes -- dc are brown hair/ gray eyes, blonde/green eyes, auburn hair /grey -green eyes and brown hair blue eyes.

[Parrothead]

I voted brown/brown since that is what I learned in school. But this week I've been informed that I've learned some incorrect things so everything is now suspect. :laugh:

[Um_2_4]

Well, I have green/dark blonde and DH is brown/brown (but his family has blue eyes in it, uncles on both sides) and we ended up with all brown/brown except 1, who has green eyes like mine. So we fir the mendel square perfectly LOL !

[gardenmom5]

I'm not home, but I was ONLY talking eye color. I didn't address hair at all. You do NOT know if someone is brown/ brown without DNA testing.

[OrganicAnn]

I read an article a few years ago that say eventually red heads will cease to exist and so will blondes. They had estimates based on populations and trends. I think red heads will no longer exist in about 200 years and blondes will be gone in about 400 years.

 

So all you red heads and blondes should get busy and have more babies.

[Parrothead]

I read an article a few years ago that say eventually red heads will cease to exist and so will blondes. They had estimates based on populations and trends. I think red heads will no longer exist in about 200 years and blondes will be gone in about 400 years.

 

So all you red heads and blondes should get busy and have more babies.

 

With gingers and blondes. Otherwise they may end up like my dd with nothing to show for having a ginger/green mom.

[gardenmom5]

You forgot the mutants like me with green eyes and red hair.

It's not always simple. I have brown hair and brown eyes dh has brown hair green eyes -- dc are brown hair/ gray eyes, blonde/green eyes, auburn hair /grey -green eyes and brown hair blue eyes.

I said it was basic. ;) (and I've had red, auburn - that fake auburn that barbie's friend has - that turned tow and finally ash blonde, blonde-blonde-blonde that turned various shades of ash. and then for the boys, the beards - blond with red beards (even my brother).

 

Well, I have green/dark blonde and DH is brown/brown (but his family has blue eyes in it, uncles on both sides) and we ended up with all brown/brown except 1, who has green eyes like mine. So we fir the mendel square perfectly LOL !

the brown/brown I was referenceing was genes from each parent. for brown/brown - both parents gave a brown gene. in brown/blue, one parent gave a brown gene and one parent gave a blue gene and the brown would be dominant and the child would have brown eyes but would be capable of passing on a blue-eyed gene to their own child.

[gardenmom5]

With gingers and blondes. Otherwise they may end up like my dd with nothing to show for having a ginger/green mom.

dh is red. my sister is red. I am blonde. I have five children and only ONE is red. . . . . (though another started auburn) my boys do have red beards though.

 

eta: sil dyes her hair red, she wanted it so badly. both of his sisters are medium complected, and his brother was olive/dark. he got all the fair genes.

[Desert Rat]

I was taught brown/brown. However! My dh is one of 4 kids from a blond/blue mom of Polish/Jewish heritage and a brown/brown father (unknown background due to adoption on one side, but mostly Eastern European.

ALL 4 kids are blond/blue. All children from those 4 siblings are blond/blue. Spouses are not blond/blue. I'm auburn with brown eyes. One of my kids has a variant of the blue eyed theme. He has hazel.

[gardenmom5]

 

This is what I was always taught too so I figured that since I have brown eyes, I would have at least 1 brown eyed child. But alas statistics are not on my side and despite having 6 children, I have NO brown eyed children. My family keeps joking saying I'm going to keep having more kids until I get my brown eyed one but no that really isn't my plan.

my grandmother was one of ten girls. no boys. at all. when the last one was born, the rumour around (the very very tiny) town was that ollie finally got his boy.

[happypamama]

Blue eyes are recessive. My parents have green eyes and blue eyes; two siblings and I have blue eyes, while the fourth has green eyes. That sibling has two brown-eyed children, and one blue-eyed child. I'm still waiting for someone to get DH's beautiful green eyes, but so far, we're four for four on blue eyes (though some have turned grayer than others).

 

I think hair color is way more complicated, though. My parents have brown and black hair; two siblings and I have brown hair (although in some varying shades), while the fourth had blond hair as a child and how has lighter brown/dirty blond hair. My brother with the dark brown hair has two brown-haired children and one blond; I have one child with brown hair, two with blond, and one that looks like he'll be brown as well. DH's dad has red hair; his mom has brown, and DH and his sister both have red hair. So far we have no redheads, sigh, but DH's sister has a blond and a redhead.

 

And then there are dimples. I have dimples, but only one of my children, so far, has them. They're so cute on him, though!

[Momof3littles]

In recent years I believe they've concluded it is more complex than the simple grids we set up in high school science. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100506172731.htm

[Tohru]

Just the other day I was talking with a fellow Amerasian (half Asian/half American) and we were both amused that every single Amerasian parent we knew has blonde/blue children if one parent of the Amerasian was blonde/blue and if the spouse of the Amerasian was also blonde/blue.

 

We simply couldn't think of a single child that had the brown/brown coloring (well, that we knew, which is a lot!)

[Crimson Wife]

I read an article a few years ago that say eventually red heads will cease to exist and so will blondes. They had estimates based on populations and trends. I think red heads will no longer exist in about 200 years and blondes will be gone in about 400 years.

 

So all you red heads and blondes should get busy and have more babies.

 

This is only the case if mating is truly random. In reality, people are far more likely to marry within their ethnicity or related ones (e.g. Irish with Scottish or English). Ethnicity wasn't the primary reason why I was attracted to my DH and vice versa, but the fact that we are both half-Irish was a plus (he's Irish-German and I'm Irish-Scottish).

[Amber in SJ]

I just finished putting the genetics unit together for my 4-6th graders and they will be completing their squares for tongue rolling, dimples, cleft chin, eye color, handedness, etc, etc. I have 4dc and it is funny because we end up with the perfect 75% dominant and 25% recessive ratios for all the traits. We have one child that we call "the recessive" because she has all of them.

 

Amber in SJ

[4kidlets4me]

I read an article a few years ago that say eventually red heads will cease to exist and so will blondes. They had estimates based on populations and trends. I think red heads will no longer exist in about 200 years and blondes will be gone in about 400 years.

 

So all you red heads and blondes should get busy and have more babies.

 

We added 4 ginger's to the gene pool :hurray:

 

I was taught brown/brown was dominant but I think it's more complicated than that.

[Crimson Wife]

 

With gingers and blondes. Otherwise they may end up like my dd with nothing to show for having a ginger/green mom.

 

Red hair can skip many generations. My DH has brown hair as do all the members of his family back as far as anyone can remember. I wasn't expecting my grandfather's red hair to turn up in my DS given that we had no idea DH was a carrier. I knew that there was a 2/3 chance I was a carrier given my brother is a redhead, but there was no particular reason to think DH would be one as well.

[gardenmom5]

Red hair can skip many generations. My DH has brown hair as do all the members of his family back as far as anyone can remember. I wasn't expecting my grandfather's red hair to turn up in my DS given that we had no idea DH was a carrier. I knew that there was a 2/3 chance I was a carrier given my brother is a redhead, but there was no particular reason to think DH would be one as well.

 

.

within the past several years, there have been two african (nigerian?) families living in the UK who had white babies. one of them was even blonde. they have no known caucasion ancestors and they emmigrated there from africa.

one

two can't find a good link for the other couple, who had a boy.

 

the point being recessive genes can skip generations.

[EthiopianFood]

This is only the case if mating is truly random. In reality, people are far more likely to marry within their ethnicity or related ones (e.g. Irish with Scottish or English). Ethnicity wasn't the primary reason why I was attracted to my DH and vice versa, but the fact that we are both half-Irish was a plus (he's Irish-German and I'm Irish-Scottish).

 

My dd is going to marry a man who has one full blooded Swedish parent, and one from somewhere in Africa where they have very dark skin. This way, we reinfuse the Swedish blood into the family... and I get really cute grandkids. Not sure how that fits your statement, but you know. ;)

 

I really need to start saving up for her Swedish semester abroad.... :tongue_smilie:

[nukeswife]

I have dark blonde hair and brown eyes. My parents both had dark brown hair and mom had brown eyes dad had hazel. My brother had the blonde hair that got dark and hazel eyes. My husband was a blonde that turned dark with bluish gray eyes. All of our kid were born with blue eyes, older two have turned hazel, youngest still has blue. Oldest two were blonde at birth and are now dark blonde, Youngest was born with red hair (like an orangutan) and is now blonde.

 

Now tell me how this is possible. My Dad's dog tags said he was O+, my mom and brother are B+ I'm AB+ I've had many people tell me that it's not possible for my dad to actually be my father, but I look just like a perfect combo of he and my mother.

[MistyMountain]

Brown eyes and hair is dominant but it is a little more complicated when you add in different shades and alleles. It is a little more complex then there being one gene for a color. Plus some people start out as blonds and then in adulthood have brown hair.

 

I read an article a few years ago that say eventually red heads will cease to exist and so will blondes. They had estimates based on populations and trends. I think red heads will no longer exist in about 200 years and blondes will be gone in about 400 years.

 

So all you red heads and blondes should get busy and have more babies.

 

I added 3 red heads and would love to have more. Maybe the kids will get together with other red heads or someone with one copy of the gene to keep red heads around. I don't think the gene will ever disappear but it will probably become less common.

 

dh is red. my sister is red. I am blonde. I have five children and only ONE is red. . . . . (though another started auburn) my boys do have red beards though.

 

It is a total crapshoot. My husband has red hair and I have dark brown. I have no relatives with red hair but I do have freckles and pale skin though. I have 3 red headed children out of 3. I have the same odds as you probably as having red heads.

[Dory]

I was always taught that brown was dominant and blue was recessive. That being said, both my inlaws have dark hair and my dh has very, very blond hair, blue eyes, and when he grows a beard it's red. All three of our kids are blondes and my son has odd red patches on his head. Not red highlights, but literal patches. He also has black hairs that run behind his right ear, and his left eye is hazel and his right eye is blue. Both the other two kids have blue eyes.

I have a feeling that the genetics are not as simple as dominant and recessive.

[K&Rs Mom]

I was also taught that brown/brown was dominant. I am brown/brown, dh is (dark)blond/blue - one dd is brown/brown, the other has our same hair but the lucky kid got my mom's green eyes. The girls & I have the exact same hair color (except mine has more gray ;) ). My nephew has one brown/brown parent and one blond/blue parent, and he's a brown-eyed blond.

[LMV]

Now tell me how this is possible. My Dad's dog tags said he was O+, my mom and brother are B+ I'm AB+ I've had many people tell me that it's not possible for my dad to actually be my father, but I look just like a perfect combo of he and my mother.

 

 

I would guess that your dad may have had the (extremely rare) Bombay Phenotype. So although his genotype was likely AO, AA, or AB he was unable to make the A antigen and or B antigen and express it on his red cells. His blood type thus appeared to be O.

[Veritaserum]

We have six kids. I have blue eyes and blonde hair. My husband has brown eyes and brown hair. Five of our six have blue eyes. Two have brown hair like husband (medium-dark). Two have light brown hair. And two are blonde.

 

Everyone in my family origin (six kids) has blue eyes because my parents have blue eyes. My dad has light brown hair and my mom is blonde. Everyone has light brown or blonde hair except for one of my brothers who has dark brown hair like my dad's sisters. Only three of the fifteen grandchildren have not-blue eyes.

[redsquirrel]

Brown/Brown is dominant.

 

I have blue eyes and DH has green, which counts as blue in the dominant/recessive game. That means that both of us can only donate a recessive blue gene. When I was pregnant we didn't want to know the gender before the baby was born, so we would tell people the only thing we knew for sure was that the child would have blue eyes. And, yes, they are both light eyed. One has my very light blue/grey eyes and the other has blue-green. I am guessing they will turn green like dh's.

[twoxcell]

I always thought brown was dominant. My dh has brown eyes and I have green. His mother has blue and his father brown. My mother has blue and my father brown. We have two kids with blue, one brown, and one green. ;)

[Caitilin]

Dh has dark brown hair and blue eyes--both his parents are brown/brown.

I have medium brown hair and hazel eyes--my parents both have hazel/brown eyes and brown hair.

 

Our children:

Twin dds (identical)--brown hair, BLUE eyes

Ds1--blond hair, blue eyes

Ds2--brown hair, blue eyes

Dd3--light brown hair, hazel eyes

Ds3--blond hair, blue eyes

 

What kind of odds are those? :lol:

[Mrs Mungo]

I've always heard/learned that brown/brown is dominant. Dh is brown eyed, and I am blue. We have 2 brown eyed children and 1 blue eyed. Perhaps if we had one more we could create a perfect punnett square!

 

 

I have 3 sisters and we are a Punnett Square!

 

My parents both have light brown eyes, but both have siblings with green and/ or blue eyes.

 

Two of us have brown eyes (dark brown), one of us has green eyes and one has hazel.

 

Also, three of us have curly hair and one has straight hair.

 

Three of us have dark complexions and one is as white as a ghost.

 

Three of us have Irish features and one has American Indian features.

 

Three of us are loud and bossy, one is shy and painfully introverted.

 

And so forth.

[Lara in Colo]

This was very informative http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_color

[CLBMom]

 

Now tell me how this is possible. My Dad's dog tags said he was O+, my mom and brother are B+ I'm AB+ I've had many people tell me that it's not possible for my dad to actually be my father, but I look just like a perfect combo of he and my mother.

 

 

Well it isn't possible. But it IS possible your Dads blood type wasn't O+. I was tested as a child by the doctor and as a teen by the Red Cross. Both times I was told I was O+. When I got pregnant with my first child they tested me and said I was A+. All 3 pregnancies I've been A+. I had my genotype done (really cool dna thing with a private company) I have an A/O genotype. I have one gene for A and one for O. Could be as simple as your Dads test was wrong.

[kristinannie]

My husband has blue eyes. Both of his parents have blue eyes. I have hazel eyes, but my mom has blue eyes. Because of this, my kids had a fifty/fifty chance off having blue eyes. They could either get my dominant gene for non-blue eyes or my recessive gene for blue eyes. My husband only has recessive genes so my genes are what makes the difference. All three of my kids have blue eyes and that was very unexpected! They all have different hair color though! My husband and I both have brown hair, but we have a brunette, a blonde, and a redhead so I would guess that brown hair is not strictly dominant. It must be more complicated than eye color.

[TranquilMind]

I grew up in a family of blue-eyed, brown haired children so always thought of this color combination as "most normal" (whatever that meant!). I was surprised to learn in high school and college biology that brown/brown is dominant and blue eyes are recessive. My husband has hazel eyes and our kids all have blue, so the trend continues.

 

Blue eyes are always recessive. I was the only blue-eyed family member of six of us.

 

We are doing our part to repopulate the world with some blue-eyed people.

[KrissiK]

Brown/brown!