Question

Why do we not look exactly like our parents or sibling even though we inherit genes from our parents

Answer 1

Among the physical traits you inherit from your parents are – your general build, your skin color, your eye color and shape, your hair color and texture, straightness or curliness, plus the shape and size of your nose, ears, hands, and feet. Among the mental traits you inherit are – your ability to learn, plus talent in special fields such as art, music, mechanics, or science.

In addition, you inherit emotional traits, how you respond to certain situations or feelings, how easily you get upset or how calm you stay. All these traits, however, are greatly influenced by your environment, the world you live in, what your parents and teachers teach you, and what you learn from your community.

There are, however, certain physical traits that your parents may have now that you cannot inherit. For example, if your father has a scar that he got when he fell playing tennis, you would not inherit it. However, if he was born with a birthmark on his back, you might inherit that. If your mother had an operation to shorten or turn up her nose, you would inherit her old nose, not her new one. However, if she had freckles on that nose, you might inherit them.