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20: Development and Inheritance

  • Page ID
    57599
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    Chapter Overview

    In this chapter, we will learn about the inheritance of various human traits and what makes each newborn unique.

    • 20.1: Prelude to Development and Inheritance
      The dramatic changes of fertilization, embryonic development, and fetal development are followed by remarkable adaptations of the newborn to life outside the womb. An offspring’s normal development depends upon the appropriate synthesis of structural and functional proteins. This, in turn, is governed by the genetic material inherited from the parental egg and sperm, as well as environmental factors.
    • 20.2: Patterns of Inheritance
      We have discussed the events that lead to the development of a newborn. But what makes each newborn unique? The answer lies, of course, in the DNA in the sperm and oocyte that combined to produce that first diploid cell, the human zygote.


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