Cleft Chin - Paternity

Cleft Chin
Pearlladie,

Sometimes people have the cleft under their chins, which can be checked by passing your finger under it and feeling the cleft - it doesn't feel straight.

Neither of my parents have clefts but I do have one. And if both parents have a cleft, it is possible for them to have children without a cleft chin. The cleft chin trait is dominant, so if both parents were heterozygous with a cleft chin and both passed down the reccessive, or "little letter", then their children would not have a cleft.

Swimgirl--

Welcome to A2K. Thanks for an interesting post.

How do people not know this? I learned about genetics in 7th grade. If you have a dominant trait (such as brown eyes) you may carry only the dominant trait (BB) or you may carry the dominant and recessive trait (Bb). The only way to know if your BB or Bb is a genetic test. Most people who display a recessive trait only carry recessive traits (bb), but it is possible for them to carry the dominant trait (Bb). Each parent contributes one of traits they carry (it might not be the same one you display). Two parents who are BB dominant can only produce BB dominant children. But two parents who are Bb dominant have a 25% chance of producing a BB baby, 25% chance of a bb baby, and 50% chance of a Bb baby (the odds are the same if one or both of the parents are Bb but display the recessive trait). If one parents is Bb and another bb there is a 50% chance of a Bb child and a 50% chance of a bb child. There are more possible combinations but hopefully you get the point.

is a cleft chin a deformity