Genetics 101 Part 4: What are Phenotypes?

Discover how your observable traits, or phenotypes, are the result of interactions between your genes and environment.

Your observable traits,

also known as your
Phenotypes

result from the interaction between your genes

and the environment.

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This interaction
begins in the womb

and continues
throughout your life.

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Differences in some phenotypes, like height,

are determined
mostly by genes.

If you had short parents
and grandparents,

you probably don't
tower over your peers.

Though
environmental factors,

like nutrition,

can have some
effect on your height.

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Genes also play a role in whether you have

a healthy body weight.

But diet and exercise can profoundly affect

how much you weigh.

How genes influence
your personality

is less understood.

You can now learn about over a million SNPs

in your genome all at once.

And every day, scientists are learning more and more

about how some of these SNPs affect your phenotype.

Getting to know your genome can help you understand

a little better why you are
the way you are

and in what ways you are similar to, or different from

your family, friends,
and neighbors.

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