Title: Can you explain briefly how traits are passed from parents to their offspring? - eNotes.com
Headings: Can you explain briefly how traits are passed from parents to their offspring?
Science
Can you explain briefly how traits are passed from parents to their offspring?
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DNA is the chemical of heredity and is found in the chromosomes of our cells. The instructions of the DNA are used to synthesize various proteins needed by the body to function optimally. Distinct segments of DNA are known as genes. Genes are inherited by offspring from their parents. In sexually reproducing organisms, fifty percent of the genes come from the mother and fifty percent from the father. Meiotic cell division produces haploid gametes or sex cells, with half the chromosomes the organism will need. At fertilization, the two haploid sex cells form a diploid zygote (fertilized egg). It is at that moment, that all of the organism's genes are established that they will have in their body. From that fertilized egg, mitotic divisions take place until a mature offspring is formed.