What is genetic variation?

Answer 1

My answer off the top of my head is that the male sperm cell carries half the chromosomes (they contain all your genetic information) and the female egg carries the other half. When they join to create a zygote, you will inherit those chromosomes.

There are different types of alleles (this is a different type of the same gene). One type is Homozygous where, in the example of the allele that lets you roll your tongue, is Rr. A heterozygous is RR or rr. You can inherit any of these.

However, if you should inherit the rr gene, then you will not be able to roll your tongue. You will still carry the gene. So if you create a child then he/she can become a carrier for the gene (Rr).

They can then create a person who can roll their tongue if the other person can or is a carrier. There are special tables to determine if your child will have it or not.

A good example of a carrier disease is Sickle-Cell Disease. Normal red blood cells are shaped like o's. Sickle-Cell infected people's red blood cell's are shaped like crescent moons.

A carrier or someone infected with Sickle-Cell Disease are immune to malaria because Malaria cannot cope with the mutated cells of the subject. This is why a lot of African people have Sickle-Cell disease.

Answer 2

Genetic modified