Create a Baby Lab

Create a Baby LabPurpose: To demonstrate the principles of Mendelian genetics and sex determination, includingthe concepts of allele, phenotype, genotype, dominant, recessive, codominant, homozygous andheterozygous by creating a simulated baby.Materials: Two pennies, art supplies, paper.Procedure:1) Working with a partner, determine the genotype of the baby by flipping pennies. "Mom" flipsone penny to choose an allele for her egg and "Dad" flips the other to choose an allele for hissperm. (Note that the gender of the baby is a special case and is determined by dad alone. Boysare XY and girls are XX. Mom can give only an X but dad can give either an X or a Y.)2) Record the alleles which resulted from the coin flips, and put "sperm and egg" together. (Youcannot pick the traits you want; life doesn't work that way!) Write down baby's genotype foreach trait in Table 1. Heads represents allele #1 and tails represents allele #2.3) Record the baby's phenotype in Table 1. Note: Dominant alleles are written with an uppercaseletter and recessive alleles are written as lowercase letters. Dominant alleles mask the expressionof recessive ones. Co-dominant alleles are written as uppercase letters with a subscript. Codominantalleles result in a phenotype that is blended.4) Repeat steps 1, 2, and 3 for all traits and then draw, color, and name your creation. Rememberthat you are drawing a baby's face - not a child's or an adult's (no tattoos, no mustaches, nopierced ears, noses, etc., and not too much hair!)Concluding Questions:1. Why is the coin flip used to represent the selection of alleles?2. Define the following terms:allelephenotypegenotypedominantrecessivecodominanthomozygous-

heterozygouschromosomelocusgene-Results:Table 1: Check here indicating whether you are the mom or the dad and fill in the databelow.Mom's Name:________________Dad's Name_________________Baby's Name:________________Trait Allele from Mom Allele from Dad Genotype PhenotypeGender ______X______ _____________ _____________ _____________Face Shape _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________Chin Shape _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________Chin Dimple _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________Freckles _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________Cheek Dimples _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________Lip Thickness _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________Eye Brows _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________Eye Shape _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________Eyelashes _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________Ear Shape _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________Ear Lobes _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________Widow's Peak _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________Hair Curliness _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________Eyebrow Color _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________Eye Width _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________Eye Size _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________Mouth Size _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________Nose Size _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________Birth Mark _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________Skin Tone _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________Polygenic Trait Alleles from Mom Alleles from Dad Genotype PhenotypeHair Color #1____ #2____ #1____ #2____ __ __ /__ __ _____________Eye Color #1____ #2____ #1____ #2____ __ __ /__ __ _____________

Genotype/Phenotype Reference SheetTraitGenotype/Phenotype(Homozygous forAllele 1)Genotype/Phenotype(Heterozygous)Genotype/Phenotype(Homozygous for Allele#2)Face ShapeRRRoundRrRoundrrSquareChin ShapeNNNoticeableNnNoticeablennLess NoticeableChin DimpleAAAbsentAaAbsentaaPresentFrecklesFFPresentFfPresentffAbsentCheek DimplesDDPresentDdPresentddAbsentLip ThicknessTTThickTtThickttThinEye BrowsBBBushyBbBushybbFineEye ShapeWWWideWwWidewwRoundEyelashesLLLongLlLongllShortEar ShapeRRLongRrLongrrRoundEar LobesFFFreeFfFreeffAttachedWidow's PeakWWPresentWwPresentwwAbsent

Hair CurlinessC 1 C 1CurlyC 1 C 2WavyC 2 C 2StraitEyebrow ColorD 1 D 1Darker thanhairD 1 D 2Same as hairD 2 D 2Lighter thanhairEye WidthW 1 W 1CloseTogetherW 1 W 2AverageW 2 W 2Far apartEye SizeS 1 S 1LargeS 1 S 2MediumS 2 S 2SmallMouth SizeM 1 M 1WideM 1 M 2MediumM 2 M 2NarrowNose SizeP 1 P 1SmallP 1 P 2MediumP 2 P 2LargeBirth Mark(mole)B 1 B 1Left cheekB 1 B 2AbsentB 2 B 2Right cheekSkin ToneS 1 S 1LightS 1 S 2MediumS 2 S 2DarkHair ColorEye ColorAABB=Black AaBB=Dark Brown aaBB=BlondAABb=Black AaBb=Light Brown aaBb=BlondAAbb=Red Aabb=Dark Blond aabb=white (albino)AABB=Deep Brown AaBB=Greenish Brown aaBB=GreenAABb=Deep Brown AaBb=Light Brown aaBb=Light BlueAAbb=Brown Aabb=Gray-Blue aabb=Pink