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Where Did It Come From?
The
room is a disaster. The socks are draped artistically over your lamp.
Near the fish tank your untouched homework rests peacefully. Potato chip
bags, soda cans and gum wrappers lend your place that "lived in"
look. Oh no, it’s Mom.
She quietly surveys your domain. "You’re just like your father!"
she scolds. But are you?
You
are the offspring, or child, of your parents. You inherited some traits
from them. The passing of traits from a parent organism to its offspring
is called heredity, and is the topic of this part of Sci-ber text.
Look
in the mirror. What do you see? What color are your eyes? Is your hair
curly or straight? Do you have freckles?
Many of the things you see in the mirror are your traits. Traits are inherited characteristics you have, though sometimes what you see in the mirror are not traits.
Is the color of your clothing a trait? Why or why not?
Remember that a trait is something you just have by being born. You can't change it like you change your clothes!
