About Nicholas Morphew Expertise I can answer simple genetics questions regarding probabilities of inheriting particular
diseases and anything that is a little trivial I can search the answers for. Please do not ask me
sensitive questions that you may not like an answer to - please consult your personal
geneticist or general practitioner.
Experience No practical experience
Education/Credentials Bachelor of Biomedical Science (University of Newcastle)
Expert: Nicholas Morphew Date: 12/17/2007 Subject: genetics
Question QUESTION: My child has blue eyes with very pale skin. The man I believed to be her biological father has blue eyes and brown hair as well. Her hair was black when I had her and continues to get lighter.She is now 5. I am remarried and my husband and I have been trying to concieve.Our date for ovulation is completely off from day 14. Its sometimes more like 3 or 4. The other person that could be her real father has very pale skin, blonde hair and green eyes. My eyes are very dark brown, dark brown hair and a dark olive complexion-almost egyptian looking.I am native american and Italian. I believed the first description was a mirror image for genetics. But is it more possible for this other man to be the father? What are the chances? What are the statistics for each?
ANSWER: Hi there.
The situation here is somewhat clouded and difficult to give you a clear cut answer. Hair colour and eye colour and skin colour are not easy to use as guides as who the father might be. This is due to the way they change over time and eye colour especially is created from a number of factors, not all genetic. However, from my knowledge, in simple terms, having blue eyes is a recessive trait meaning that both parents need to have at least one gene displaying the blue eyed allele (alleles are the different forms of the genes which come in pairs - one from the mother and one from the father). A man with green eyes may have a blue eyed allele and the man with blue eyes has two of them. So in this case, it is hard to tell, although I would weight it a little towards the man with blue eyes, but only because he definitely has blue eyes. I would be much more confident if you said that one of the men had brown eyes and both of his parents had brown eyes and we knew that he carried only brown eyed alleles and no blue eyed alleles - that way we could rule him out.
As for statistics and high accuracy probabilities, I suggest if it is of great importance to you, to take a trip to your local doctor and speak to him/her about a referral to a genetics and family planning clinic. They will obtain samples from all of the parties (if they are willing) and can accurately match the child to her father.
Nicholas
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QUESTION: my mothers mother also had blue eyes, a pale complexion and brown hair
Answer Hello again,
This is irrelevant. You have brown eyes yet your daughter is displaying phenotypic blue eyes. You must be carrying a blue eyed allele in your genotype as one allele must come from you and one from the father who must also have at least one blue eyed allele (a person with blue eyes must have two blue eyed alleles). I can tell you the chances that you had of having a child with blue eyes was 25% if the father had only one blue eyed allele and 50% if he has two (and is consequently blue eyed).
However, all of this means little if you do not have an accurate genotype of both you, both suspected fathers and your daughter to compare and see where the alleles came from. Better yet, I suggest you consult a registered health professional for further consultation.
This sort of communication on this issue will only confuse you and give you no conclusive answer.
