Create A Baby Lab
PURPOSE:. To demonstrate that gene, and traits, are passed on from generation to generation. The concepts of
dominance, genotype, phenotype, and incomplete dominance will be illustrated.
MATERIALS:
Colored pencils/Crayons
Two pennies
PROCEDURE:
1. Determine your genotypes as closely as you can. Sometimes, if you have a dominant phenotype (brown
hair), it may be hard to determine whether you are Homozygous or Heterozygous for the characteristic, based
on your parents and/or grandparents phenotypes. If so, for the purposes of this lab, flip a coin to see it
youre Homozygous -BB (HEADS) or Heterozygous-Bb (TAILS.)
2. Record your genotypes and phenotypes in Table 1.
3. Choose a mate! For the purposes of this lab, everyone in the class is a hermaphrodite (an organism having
both male and female organisms.) Because of this, it will be possible for you to mate with any other
classmate, regardless of their phenotypic sexual characteristics. Remember, this lab is FUN and we want
everyone to be able to participate, regardless of whether we have a perfect match between male and females
in the room!
4. Make a baby (hypothetically, that is!) Each partner should flip a coin to see whether they are going to donate
a Dominent (HEADS) or Recessive (TAILS) allele for each characteristic. If you are Homozygous Dominant or
Homozygous recessive for a characteristic, you need not flip a coin (you only have ONE possible allele you
can
donate.) Record your babys genotypes and phenotypes in Table 1.
5. The sex of the baby is determined by the father. For this characteristic only the father, flips the penny. If
heads comes up, the baby is a boy, If tails is flipped, the baby is a girl. Now, you have the responsibility of
naming the child.
6. Using the phenotype for each characteristic you recorded in Table 1, DRAW the head of your baby with
colored pencils or crayons on a sheet of 8  by 11 paper. It is important that you remember to draw BABY, not
a child or adult. You can NAME your child and include any pertinent birth statistics on the sheet with your
drawing, including your babys parentage.
DOMINANT/RECESSIVE TRAITS:
Face Shape:
Mouth Size:
Chin Shape:
Nose Size:
WIDOWS PEAK
CO-DOMINANT TRAITS: HAIR TEXTURE
EYE SIZE
EYE DISTANCE
COLOR OF EYEBROWS:
Darker than Hair
(DD)
EYEBROW TEXTURE:
EAR SHAPE:
Same as hair
(Dd)
Lighter than Hair
(dd)
EYE LASHES:
EAR LOBES:
CLEFT IN CHIN:
DIMPLES IN CHEEK:
LIP THICKNESS:
FRECKLES:
EYE SHAPE:
MULTIPLE ALLELE TRAITS:
For this lab, we will assume that only two gene pairs control for hair and eye color. For the first gene pair, flip the
pennies and record the results (AA,Aa,aa). For the second gene pair, again flip your pennies and record your
results (BB,Bb,bb). For Hair Color, if the red allele runs in your family, you may have to use a coin for (RR,Rr, rr)
along with the B or A alleles. Now combine the two gene pairs.
Gene Pairs
AABB
AABb
AaBb
AAbb
Aabb
aaBB
aaBb
aabb
Hair Color
Black
Dark Brown
Light Brown
Brown
Blond
Dark Blond
Blond
Pale Blond
Gene Pairs
AARR
AARr
AaRr
AArr
Aarr
aaRR
aaRr
aarr
Hair Color
Dark Auburn
Dark Auburn
Auburn
Auburn
Chestnut
Bright Red
Light red
Strawberry Blond
Gene Pairs
AABB
AABb
AAbb
AABB
AaBb
Eye Color
Deep Brown
Deep Brown
Golden Brown
Hazel
Brown
Gene Pairs
Aabb
aaBB
aaBb
aabb
Eye Color
Gray-Blue
Green
Dark Blue
Pale Blue
Gene Pairs
BBRR
BBRr
BbRr
BBrr
Bbrr
bbRR
bbRr
bbrr
Hair Color
Dark Auburn
Dark Auburn
Auburn
Auburn
Chestnut
Bright Red
Light red
Strawberry Blond
Name
Date
Period
Assignment #
RESULTS:
TABLE 1.
MOTHER
TRAIT
genotype
phenotype
FATHER
genotype
phenotype
Face Shape
Chin Shape
Mouth Size
Nose Size
Widows Peak
Hair Texture
Eye Size
Eye Distance
Eye Brow Color
Eye Brow Texture
Eye Lashes
Ear Shape
Ear Lobes
Cleft in Chin
Dimples in Cheek
Lip Thickness
Freckles
Eye Shape
Hair Color
Eye Color
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
How many genes for a Dominant/Recessive trait does it take to code for the trait?
How many genes do the parents give for the Dominant/Recessive trait?
Define Genotype:
Define Phenotype:
What percentage of the genotype does each parent give?
6. What happens to the traits for a co-dominant trait situation?
7. How many genes combine for the skin color trait?
8. Why was this trait not included in this lab?
BABY
genotype
phenotype